The second half of the 20th century was marked by the revival of the Vedic culture and its penetration into Western countries. This began to happen due to the popularization of the works of Roerich and Blavatsky. It is also associated with the spread of teachings originating in the Vedas.
Supreme god
God in the Vedic religion has a collective image. Unlike other religious cultures, the Vedas clearly state who God is and what manifestations he has.
The first, most understandable manifestation is the Absolute. This is the totality of everything. That which can be seen with the help of the senses and that which is not manifested. In Sanskrit, this divine expression is called Brahman.
The second manifestation is super-soul or super-consciousness. In Sanskrit is called paramatma, which means the Supreme soul. According to the scriptures, superconsciousness acts in the world of matter and enters into every atom. The heart of every living being permeates this divine consciousness. Therefore, there is an aphorism that God is in the heart of man and in order to find Him, you need to look inside.
The third manifestation of divine consciousness is His personal expression. The Supreme Lord. In this guise, the Absolute enjoys revealing to the world many wonderful and wonderful games. The scriptures say that there is no number to the personal manifestations of the Absolute, like the waves on the surface of the ocean.
Divine incarnations
Vedic literature describes several incarnations of the Supreme Lord in the world of matter. Each incarnation of Him had certain goals and harmoniously fit into the plan of the divine game. Here are some of them:
- Narasimha is a virgin. In the guise of a lion man, he came to protect his devotee - the boy Prahlada. His father Hiranyakasipu was a powerful demon who seized the throne of the king of the gods. In the Vedic culture of that time, it was customary to worship God Visnu, which was done by the 5-year-old Prahlad. However, the father could not come to terms with the religiosity of his son and made many attempts to kill him. The Lord protected the boy, and in the end delivered the world from the sinner Hiranyakasipu, tearing him with his claws.
- Vyasa Virgo. The incarnation of the Lord in the guise of a sage. He appeared at the beginning of the Kali era and divided the single Veda into 4 parts: Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaved, Atharva Veda. This was done for people of the current era who do not have a good memory and intelligence. He also wrote an epic about the divine incarnation of Krishna - Mahabharata.
- Lord Buddha. He came to destroy the authority of the Vedic texts instructing people to perform animal sacrifices. Thus, he proclaimed the highest value - ahimsu (non-harm to living beings).
- Lord Ramacandra. In the guise of a righteous king, the Lord showed an example of how to fulfill his duty.
- Lord Krishna. He showed wonderful children’s and youthful games with the residents of Vrindavan who loved Him more than their lives.
- Kalki avatar. The Supreme Lord, who will appear at the end of the Kali era on a white horse and destroy those who have no chance of correction, thereby preparing the world for the revival of morality.
A brief description of the creation of the world
Literature of the Vedas tells that beyond the world of matter lies, stretching into infinity, spiritual reality, where there is neither corruption nor death. In Sanskrit, this transcendental world is called Vaikuntha - a place where there is no anxiety. Time does not affect the local people - they are always beautiful and young. Their every step is a dance, and each word is a song. The Vedas claim that this is our home where every soul strives.
The main characteristic of living beings of the spiritual world is complete disinterestedness. Living for God and for others is the meaning of their existence.
But what about those who want to live for themselves? A world full of enmity and hardship is prepared for them - the world of matter. Here everyone can satisfy their selfish desires and fully feel their consequences.
From the pores of the divine body there are myriads of material universes intended for souls who want to live for themselves. But so that these souls are not left without spiritual guidance, the Lord, through his expansion, enters this world. And His name is Vishnu, which means all-pervading. He creates the first living creature in the universe - Brahma, on whom he entrusts the mission of the creator of the material world.
Pantheon of Vedic gods, their names and power
Let us examine in more detail the hierarchy of gods, reflected in the Vedic scriptures. Vedic gods are directly related to Vishnu. They obey Him as the supreme controller and guardian of this universe.
At the top of the hierarchy are three deities: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who are responsible for the creation, maintenance and destruction of everything in this world. They also represent irresistible forces: passion, goodness and ignorance. The more goodness in a person’s life, the more enlightened he is and the closer he is to the realization of his divine nature.
The lower stage is occupied by deities who control some aspect of creation. Conventionally, matter can be divided into elements: ether, fire, air, water, earth. Combinations of these primary elements serve as the basis for everything that surrounds us.
The sacred texts describe 33 million Vedic gods. Not all of them are known, but here are the names of those who are mentioned in the sacred hymns of the Rigveda:
- Indra is the king of the gods in the Vedic religion. He rules over heaven and all the gods of the kingdom of paradise. It is noteworthy that Indra is not a name. This is the title of the post. The scriptures say that he gained this post as a result of his great piety.
- Agni is the god of fire in the Vedic religion. He is responsible for the element of fire in our universe.
- Varuna is the god of water. The master of the element of water.
- Vivasvan is the god of the sun.
- Kubera is the keeper of countless treasures. Treasurer of the gods. Many evil spirits called yakshas obey him.
- The pit is the god of death. He is also called the god of justice. It is he who determines what a person deserves after the end of his life.
God of fire
Agni - the Vedic god of fire, occupied one of the central roles in the life of people. In worshiping the Lord, people were always the first to mention Agni, because he, personifying the sacrificial fire, was the mouth of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the hymns of the sacred Rigveda begin with praise of Agni.
Aryan culture was accompanied by fire from birth to death. All the rituals of that time were fire sacrifices, be it birth, marriage, or death. It was said that a person whose body was burned in sacred fire would not be born again in the world of death.
The ancient medicine of Ayurveda also assigned the Vedic god of fire an important place in people's health. It is believed that the element of fire is responsible for the power of thought, as well as for digestive processes. The weakening of Agni in the human body causes serious ailments.
The influence of the gods on human life
In Aryan culture, the Vedic gods personified various aspects of human life. An ancient science such as astrology also considered the influence of the gods on human destiny. The fact is that in Vedic astrology, each planet has a personal personification with a certain set of qualities.
For example, just as Vivasvan is the god of the Sun, so each planet has its own governing deity:
- Moon - Chandra
- Mercury - Budha;
- Venus - Sukra;
- Mars - Mangala;
- Jupiter is the Guru;
- Saturn - Shani;
- Northern Moon Node - Rahu. In Western astrology, he is called the head of a dragon.
- South Moon Node - Ketu. It is called the dragon's tail.
All of these deities are also Vedic gods. They were all worshiped for specific purposes. The horoscope was considered as a plan of lessons that the soul, embodied in the human body, was supposed to go through.
The negative periods of human life associated with the influence of certain planets were reduced or eliminated with the help of rituals associated with the worship of these deities. Such methods were called upai.
The divine personification of nature and its manifestations
The Vedic gods mentioned above are masculine. What about female divine manifestations?
According to sacred traditions, each divine personal incarnation has a companion who personifies female energy (shakti).
For example, the wife of Vishnu is Lakshmi - the goddess of fortune and prosperity. Outwardly, she is very beautiful, dresses in red. Holding a lotus and a jug of gold coins in his hands. It is believed that she favors the one who worships her husband.
Saraswati is the goddess of wisdom and the consort of Lord Brahma. She is worshiped for gaining knowledge and wisdom.
Parvati - mother nature, is the eternal companion of Shiva and has many appearances. Personalizing nature, it happens both as an infinitely beautiful creator and a terrible destroyer. She is often portrayed with various weapons and a bloodied head in her hands. By analogy, Parvati relieves a person walking on a spiritual path from attachments to matter.
The influence of the gods on the acquisition of the meaning of life by man
According to the Vedic texts, the meaning of human life consists of 4 goals:
- Dharma is the fulfillment of one’s duty by following one’s own nature.
- Artha - maintaining your economic well-being.
- Kama - getting pleasure and enjoyment.
- Moksha - liberation from Samsara (the circle of birth and death).
The activities of the gods of the Vedic period also consists in providing conditions for a person to achieve 4 life goals. By their invisible actions they, when softly, when rudely, push people to understand that the material world is not their home and there will always be some kind of anxiety. So a person is led to understanding the highest meaning of existence - gaining love for God.
Vedic gods of the Slavs
The Slavic Vedas profess a monotheistic religion that the world was created by the One Creator, from whom all things came.
It is called Svarog. Shocked world. It is also called Rod. Sometimes He sends his sons so that over time the divine law is not lost.
The Vedic gods of Russia are the sons of Svarog: Roof, Vyshen, Dazhbog, Kolyada.
According to Slavic traditions, Kryshen is a heavenly patron of earthly people. In the material world, He incarnates to restore ancient knowledge and teach people religious rituals. The story of Krysha’s adventures is described in the Slavic book of Kolyada.
Parallels of Crops
Today there is a lot of debate on the topic, whose Vedas are more true. Slavic or Indian. And these disputes give rise only to ethnic hatred. But if you carefully examine the pantheon of the Vedic gods of the Slavs and the gods of the Indian Vedas, it becomes clear that the same personalities are described:
- Higher in tune with Vishnu. In both cultures, he is one of the highest hierarchs.
- The roof is Krishna. In both cases, he embodied with the same goal: to restore morality and punish those who violate the divine law. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna himself speaks of the purpose of his coming: "From century to century I come to punish the wicked and restore the foundations of religion."
- Svarog - Brahma. No wonder in Sanskrit the abode of Brahma is called Svarga.
If you look impartially, it is easy to understand that the source of knowledge is one. The only question is where this knowledge is most fully represented.
Conclusion
There is no number of divine incarnations and manifestations. In different cultures, the Supreme Lord is described in his own way, but, nevertheless, the principles and laws of spiritual development are given alone. A person who has exalted consciousness sees a single divine nature in every living being, believing everyone to be the Son of God.