All over this planet there are so many universities.  And so many of these universities have departments in which the Sanskrit language is studied.  Sanskrit is the language in which the ancient Vedic literatures are inscribed.

 

"Veda" means "knowledge."  The Vedic literatures give us information pertaining to a host of subject matters.  The Vedic literature gives us social science - how to create a societal structure that sees to the highest interests of all the citizens. 

 

The Vedas provide us with a matrix of spiritual "ashrams" that can accommodate the spiritual developement of all the people, in their various social positions.

 

The Vedas provide us with a great variety of spiritual paths, to accommodate the various inclinations of all of us.  The word "yoga" is a Sanskrit word coming from the Vedas.  And the various yoga systems, such as the yoga of asan and pranayam, sankhya yoga, astanga yoga, karma yoga, jnana yoga, raja yoga, bhakti yoga - all of these systems come to us through the Vedic literatures. 

 

Then there are the arts.  The classical music of the Vedas, with specific scales or ragas for specific times of the day, specific rhythmic formats, etc., and how to make the study of music into a spiritual path - this is another gift of the Vedas.

 

Then there is Vedic dance which goes hand in glove with Vedic music. 

 

The Ayur Veda gives us Vedic medicine, which diagnoses all conditions simply by feeling the pulse in the arterial system.  Ayur Veda also prescribes a vast catalogue of medicines, elixers, etc., that come from nature, with instructions of how to combine the ingredients. 

 

Veda has one section devoted entirely to its own system of astrology.

 

Then there are the sciences of engineering, marshall arts, including the ability to direct various weapons by mantra.  There are instructions on the developement of mystic powers which are 8 in number. 

 

In the Bhagavad-gita, the speaker, Bhagavan Sri Krishna, declares:

 

"vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo

vedanta krid veda vid eva chaham"

 

Translation:  "All of the Vedas are aiming towards attaining knowledge of Me.  I am the compiler of Vedanta (the culmination of Vedic knowledge) and I am the knower of all Vedic knowledge."

 

The Vedanta Sutra begins with the aphorism: 

"Athato brahma jijnasa"

Translation:  "Now that we have come to the human form of life, let us enquire into the nature of the Absolute Truth."

 

And the answer is provided:  "janmadyasya yatah".  The Absolute Truth is is Source of emanation from which everything comes into existence.

 

Veda encourages us to enquire:  "Who, or what am I?  Where have I come from?  Where am I going?  Why am I suffering?  What is the purpose of human life?  Veda instructs us that if someone has not come to that point of enquiry, then one is no better than an animal.  Because although the animals are daily engaged in a hard strugle for existence, they do not have the mental capacities that would enable them to make these enquiries.  According to Veda, the animals are no different than us.  They are individual spirit soul.  But for the present they are encased in an animal body and they are supplied with an animal mind.  And just as we identify with our mind and body as ourselves, so also the animals, the fish, the birds, the reptiles, the insects etc., although shining spiritual energy, individual spirit souls - they all identify with their present body as themselves.  Veda says that we have been through all of these different life forms, evolving through the different species until we come to the human form of life.  Is is in the human form that we can begin the enquiry that enables us to understand how to break out of the cycle of birth and death.