Vedic Cultures and Traditions
India: Cradle of the Human Race
India is the birthplace of world’s four major religions namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism and also two great medicine systems Ayurveda and Siddha. One of the earliest human civilizations called the Indus Valley civilization existed and flourished around 2600 B.C. to 2000 B.C. This civilization witnessed the emergence of great cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-daro which is still admired for its well-planned structure and technological advancement. These cities had their own writing script, government, social structure and even a sewer system considered to be the first of its kind in the whole world. This civilization was followed by the Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 B.C.) when Aryans settled in India and profound Sanskrit texts called the Vedas were composed. These vedas form the earliest records of Sanskrit literature and the foundation of Hinduism.
There are four main vedic texts written at different periods:
• Rig-Veda (Knowledge of the Hymns of Praise)
• Sama-Veda (Knowledge of the Melodies)
• Yajur-Veda (Knowledge of the Sacrificial formulas)
• Atharva-Veda (Knowledge of the Magic formulas)
Many Paths to Fulfillment
India is a fountainhead of spiritual doctrines and contemplations. Although the Western world has long adopted certain concepts like karma and practices like Yoga, they very often fail to understand the philosophy behind it and misinterpret the idea making their endeavour to spiritual understanding futile. A common myth is the believing that yoga in Hinduism is only about body postures and breathing. In reality, yoga literally means ‘union’ and implies union with God or enlightenment or the ultimate purpose of life. There are four main paths of Yoga:
• Jnana Yoga: The path of wisdom
• Bhakti Yoga: The path of devotion
• Karma Yoga: The path of action
• Raja Yoga: The path of meditation
All of these paths lead to enlightenment. Most religions in the world including Islam and Christianity practice Bhakti Yoga. The Bhagavad Gita, sacred text of Hindus, preaches Karma Yoga. What English speaking world usually call yoga is actually ‘hatha yoga’ or physical yoga which is seen as closely related to Raja Yoga.
At Ayurambalam we enlighten you on spiritual topics like this and dispel all your doubts and free you of indoctrinated beliefs, misconceptions and misinterpretations. We believe the mind should be free before it begins to embark on a journey of introspection and self-discovery.