Stream of Wisdom

All the Sastras derive their value and validity from their source - the Vedas. They lay down modes and norms in consonance with the principles and purposes defined in the Vedas. To discriminate between good and bad, the Sastras have to be resorted to.

The Vedas are A-pourusheya: that is, they have no identifiable human authors. They have emerged from God Himself and they are 'heard' by sages attuned to the Voice of the Divine. They communicated the Word to their pupils and they in turn taught them to their disciples. This process of imparting the Vedas and the Wisdom enshrined in them has continued through generation after generation of gurus and disciples up to our own times.

The Upanishads are the very core of the Vedas, the very essence of their teachings. The Brahma Sutra and the Bhagavad Githa contain the very essence of the teachings of the Upanishads. These three scriptural texts are, therefore, designated as the Prasthaana Thraya, the Three Source Texts. Since these have been learnt by listening to the Guru, they are, along with the Vedas, named Sruthi, the "Heard".

Acquisition of the Higher knowledge alone can fulfil the main purpose of human life. Such knowledge makes one aware that he is not the inert non-sentient body, etc., but that he is Consciousness itself manifesting as the embodiment of Sath-Chith-Ananda, Existence - Awareness - Bliss. When this Truth dawns and is experienced, man is liberated; he is freed from the fog of ignorance, Ajana, even while life endures till its term ends. He becomes a Jeevan-Muktha.