Relevance of the Vedas today

Some people with a poor fund of knowledge reject the Vedas, considering them to be an outdated text left by some primi­tive men of the stone age. However, the knowledge of even the scholarly historians about world history is limited to only a few thousand years: naturally, therefore, their opinions about the an­cient Vedas are of no value. The fact is that the Vedas constitute complete wisdom handed over by God Himself at the dawn of,hn rrpntion of the universe The Vedas are perfect: they are called apaiirusheya, indicating that they are not man-made. They are not meant for a casual study like a novel or for idle armchair specu­lation; their injunctions arc meant to be heard and practiced in our daily lives so as to save ourselves from the continuous on­slaught of material miseries and to achieve the eternal world.

People generally believe that modern science has brought a sophisticated brand of knowledge that makes the Vedas obsolete. But nothing could be further from the truth; neither are the Vedas obsolete nor is the modern scientific knowledge new as can be seen from the following incident from the Mahabharata. When Arjuna saved Maya Danava from the burning Khandava forest, the Danava offered to give Arjuna yantra-vidya (knowl­edge of machines and industry) in gratitude. But Krishna stopped him, saying that the introduction of machine technology would cause the entire human society to be spoiled and that this tech­nology was to be reserved for the dark age of Kali.

Thus gross technology was not unknown at any time, but in the Vedic society, it was known to be low class and destructive and was therefore never introduced. Moreover, modern science teaches only jada vidya, knowl­edge about the dead matter (earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intel­ligence, and ego). It does not help one to get out of the sufferings of birth, death, old age, and disease. The Vedas. on the other hand. Prescribe practical methods of spiritual practice for every age. including the present age of Kali. They are not bound by time, Place, or circumstance. Advancement in science and technology has no bearing on the Vedic knowledge, as the Vedas are meant to deliver a suffering man from the ocean of nescience in the past, in the present, and in the future. Anyone, at any point of time, can hear the Vedic knowledge, practice it, purify his life and return to the kingdom of God. It is, therefore, the duty of every sane human being to take advantage of the knowledge of the Vedas and achieve perfection