HOW TO LEARN SANAATHANA DHARMA – PART ONE (print and circulate)
INDIAN LITERATURE (FIVE LEVELS). Learn these instructions point by point for understanding sanathana dharma. Understand in an unbiased approach. While climbing the ladder, you need not give up the lower one. Carry each one with you when you climb. Whatever you have learned teach others also. Analyze without much spirituality at each level. Use them for making your present day life useful, purposeful, fruitful and meaning full. Become a master of Hindu dharma. Print this and distribute to as many people as possible. Discuss with family members and friends as groups.
FIRST LEVEL: learn PURANAS: Glorious messages are given through hundreds of stories in 18 + 18 Puraanaas and upapuranas (Main focus on stories). This is the first level of learning. This can be done in the simplest possible way by just reading on listening a few stories from any Puraanaas and understanding that this type of stories are the main points in Puraanaas. They may have historical information but the skeleton is a story. Remember that in Puraanaas the story is like a cover and the essence of the story is the message(s) which are present inside the story like a medicine capsule. Like a film story there are discussions, experiences, messages etc given by the players. These are directly or indirectly exchanged by the players in the film and also in the Puranic stories. Thus with spiritual background or without spiritual background one should 1. Understand the Puranic story 2. Understand the experience of the individual players within the story 3. Take messages from the discussions of the players.4. Interpret them as suitable for 21st century. 5. Do not focus on the exaggerative explanations in the Puraanaas. Thus get oneself elevated from thamaso maa jyothir gamaya ……i.e. elevate from bad to good, good better and better nearer to the best. Similarly from darkness to light and from a peace-less life to peaceful life. Generally in Puraanaas the stories will be connected with Rushies, gods, deities, sages, asuras, raakshasas and so on. Majority of them are linked with rulers and their families. Rarely animal connected stories are given in Puraanaas
SECOND LEVEL: learn MAHABHARATHA: Messages are given through experiences of Pandavas, Kouravas and those who are related with them + stories told for them. Focus is given for the experiences, stories come the last as examples for conveying the essence of some messages: Mahabharata has three things like Puraanaas. Here the importance is for experience of Pandavas, Kouravas and those who are connected with them directly or indirectly. Mahabharata has hundreds of stories connected with animals. and also hundreds and thousands of messages. Mahabharata is known as Iitihaasa which means, history. In Puraanaas story comes first and then other two (experience and messages ). In Mahabharata experience comes first and stories and messages come second. There are 1,25,000 sloka in Mahabharata of which almost 50% sloka give experiences and remaining stories and messages. You should learn minimum 20 stories and 20 experiences from Mahabharata and minimum 20 messages. This should be your second level of learning Hindu dharma
THIRD LEVEL: learn VALMEEKI RAMAAYANA: Without giving any stories the messages for glorious life are given through the experiences of Sri Rama and about 20 characters. Focus here is on their experiences. Valmeeki Ramayana has 24, 000 sloka which does not convey any story. It is purely the biography of Sri Rama and 20 people connected with him. These are their experiences and also messages / advises. Given by one person to other. You should learn 20 experiences from Valmeeki Ramayana and minimum 20 messages from the book to start with learning Hindu dharma. Experiences and messages from Sri Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha, Dasaratha and so on are examples.
FOURTH LEVEL: learn VEDAS: Thousands of direct messages are given in Vedas for the elevation of mind, body, family relations, social bondage and national integration, without any stories and without mentioning sin, virtue, hell or heaven nor any religion, section, group, caste or belief. Here no stories are given. Nothing related with sin or virtue or hell or heaven. Messages are the essence of Vedas. They give you the pure knowledge. Messages are given in one word or through a few words universally acceptable for anyone in the world. These messages do not generally have much with god or religion. Learn as many messages as possible to start with learning the Hindu dharma. Learn from any Vedas a few messages many of which already know. Vedas do carry importance in conveying the messages and also the way of chanting the mantras. Vedas take you the 4th level.
FIFTH LEVEL: learn UPANISHADS & DARSANAS: The truths, facts and essence of the life, human body, mind and so on are given through the major 18 Upanishads and six darsanas. Upanishadic messages/ philosophies / visions will be taking you to the topmost level of understanding the ultimate reality, truth, fact and essence of life. They are meant for those who reached the topmost level or those who wish to reach there. These messages can be applied by anyone in the day today life also. Among the Upanishads the first 10 Upanishads are the most important and complicated Upanishads which can be learned through a guide. Darsanas are like Upanishads but more complicated, which even can take you to a higher level than Upanishad beyond even spirituality. But needs the support of a good mentor to march forward. They are least spiritual, but more on visions / darsanas. Even though there are many many books in various subjects for learning hindu dharma these can be of starting point for getting a clear awareness
WITH PRANAAMS
IN THE SERVICE OF THE MOTHERLAND AND DHARMA
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