VEDA - Vedas and Vedic Knowledge Online

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Vedas and Vedic culture: what you won't learn at schools

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
- Hamlet (1.5.167-8)

If you want to "be someone", if you want to be viewed as doing something valuable for society, you must have an education. In school we can learn many things but unfortunately not the important, existential ones. These are elaborated on in Vedas, a sort of manuals how to use this world, how to live in it as well as how to transcend it. Obviously, they should be available to everyone.

"Veda" is Sanskrit word for "knowledge". Sanskrit was the language of ancient Vedic civilization. Vedic culture, based on Vedic scriptures (sastras) called Vedas, flourished all over the ancient world with center in India, formerly known as Bharata-varsa. See the section Connections for more.

Vedas are the most ancient literary works on Earth, at the same time with the profoundest and widest scope. They cover all fields of knowledge, material and spiritual. The real treasures of the East weren't jewels, spices or exotic perfumes but the amazing treasure house of this sacred and universal knowledge which is increasingly validated by modern science and embraced by leading corporations, professionals and leaders around the world. It also trickles down into the popular culture thru media of all kinds. At the same time, our recent scientific and technological efforts can only to some extent approach the ancient Vedic material advancement while the Vedic spirituality is much more elevated than anything found anywhere else. This is not an exaggeration but a plain fact which becomes obvious when one starts to learn and compare.

VEDA is one-of-its-kind resource related to the Vedas and Vedic culture. Although there are many different encyclopedias, now some online, until 2001 there has been no encyclopedia focused on Vedic culture available to the wide public, aside several dictionaries and encyclopedias published in India and used mainly by scholars. This situation, together with a recent increase of interest in Eastern philosophy, ancient civilizations, alternative paradigms and a lack of comprehensive online resources [i.e. in 2001 when this text was written and Wikipedia was just 2 months young and we didn't even know about its existence], inspired the creation of this site.

Other sources of inpiration

Here are several sample quotes:

"Therefore I order every man within this universe to accept this Krsna consciousness movement and distribute it everywhere." (Sri Caitanya in Cc 1.9.36)

"During this period Siddhanta Sarasvati was engaged in the compilation of a Vaisnava encyclopedia which contained an explanation of Vaisnava terminology, brief biographies of great Vaisnavas, an introduction to the books of the Vaisnava acaryas, a description of the Vaisnava tirthas, the various conclusions of Vaisnava sects. etc. He called it Vaisnava-Manjusa-Samahriti, and it was later published in four volumes. A Vaisnava scholar commented on it by saying, "This work is only possible for a supra-mortal, a great personality like Prabhupada Srila Sarasvati Thakura. Even if 25 to 30 scholars and 10 to 15 men taking the treasury of a king began the work, they would be unable to edit it." (Rupavilasa dasa - A Ray of Vishnu, ch. 4)

"Whatever you have learned, you try to expand in English language." (Hari Sauri Das, Transcendental Diary, Vol. I, p. 366 - Srila Prabhupada quotes his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Maharaja)

"My dear Subhananda Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances. I have been instructed by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada to reply your letter dated June 7th, 1977. His Divine Grace was very pleased to hear your proposal for systematically amassing a subject by subject encyclopedic compilation of all of Srila Prabhupada's teachings and instructions as found in his books. Srila Prabhupada said that he knows that you are a scholarly devotee and are just fit for doing this job. He said, "It is a very welcome suggestion." (Tamal Krishna Goswami, letter to Subhananda das; quoted in Sri Namamrta - The Nectar of the Holy Name, Preface)

"This is the special significance of Krsna consciousness, that we want simply sincere soul; then everything is there. You study or no study. But for preaching work, studying required. If you are..., because you have to meet so many opposing elements, so if you can give some reference from books of authority. But even if you don't give references, you can speak logically, you can place arguments logically." (SP, Six Gosvamis Lecture, Los Angeles, November 18, 1968)

Site Contents

Vedas are vast and varied and VEDA specifically focuses on Gaudiya Vaishnava Vedanta, the cream of Vedic philosophy, expounded by Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, avatar of this Kali-yuga, and brought to the West by its foremost recent exponent Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. You can find more details about this site and its development in About VEDA.

Its four main sections, Bhakti-yoga, Connections, Vedic Encyclopedia and Vedic Library, contain about 700 articles and freely downloadable files with all kinds of information related to Vedic philosophy and culture. Planetarium section gives a simple overview of the Vedic/Puranic universe from the pov of both space and karma, which is unique.

We'll be glad if you put a link on your personal site, blog or social profile and spread the word. We don't exchange links anymore.

If you see our content elsewhere, please let us know. With the degradation of netiquette awareness and following, some sites take our content, sometimes in great amounts, without even linking back. We think about starting to list them here.

Suggestions, corrections, donations, cooperation etc. are most welcome - please contact us.

At your service since Damanakaropana Dvadasi (March/April) 2001.

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VEDA - Vedas and Vedic Knowledge Online

Vedas and Vedic culture: what you won't learn at schools