A. The very foundations of Hinduism lie on the four pillars, known as the Vedas. Veda is the sanskrit word for "knowledge".
They are the following:-
1) Rig-veda
2) Yajur-veda
3) Sam-veda
4) Atharva-Veda
Within the Vedas, four Purusharths (human pursuits/goals) are spoken of.
They are:-
1) kAmam - desires
2) Artham - securities
3) Dharmam - ethics
4) Moksham - liberation ( THIS is the pursuit we are concerned with)
The portions of the Vedas that give the teachings of Moksham are also called Vedanta. Bhagavad Gita too is considered Vedanta, because Krishna bhagwan himself says in the Gita, that all that he teaches is present in the Vedas
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Then we have the Itihasas (historical epics)
1) The Ramayana
2) The Mahabharata
These epics assimilate the teachings of the last two Purusharths (Dharmam and Moksham), and are full of morals and values, for adults and children alike.
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Next come the 'Puranas'. They may have some truth basis to them, but often go into mythology.
Just as Aesop's fables or Panchatantra are stories with good morals, but we all know that the animals don't really talk ! Similarly, one can extract good morals out of the Puranas, but please do not take them literally, their purpose is purely allegorical, not historical.
They are good for chitta shuddhi (mental purity), and are fine as long as one doesn't take them too literally.
So there you have it, the classification of our scriptures. One thing to note is, every single scripture attempts either to clarify, or expand on the teachings of Vedas, but anything that is contradictory to the Vedas must be rejected.
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Q. WHO IS A GURU?
A. Guru comes from the two sanskrit roots
'Gu', which means darkness
'Ru', which means 'the remover of'
Here darkness signifies ignorance. The Guru gives us knowledge.
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Q. DO WE NEED A GURU TO LEARN THESE TEACHINGS?
A. YES! 99.999% of us do need a Guru. Under the rare case that you find someone extraordinary who gains moksham on his own without learning the scriptures under the guidance of a Guru, he has probably had a Guru in his previous birth and completed most of his teachings.
Such individuals are few and rare, and I can assure you that most of us are not in that league, so certainly, find a qualified Guru. No task is perfectly learnt without a Guru, especially not Vedanta.
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Q. HOW TO FIND A GURU?
A. This depends on two things.
1) Your free will - the effort you put into finding one
2) Your past karma- which will determine whether or not you are supposed to find one
Both of these work hand in hand, and can speed up or slow down your process. So while your past karma isn't in your hands, at least take the necessary efforts to prepare yourself, and approach a Guru
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Q. HOW TO KNOW IF THE GURU IS RIGHT FOR ME
A. Simply put, one who makes you "see", is a Guru. If somebody is saying something, and no matter how well respected or famous he is, if it does NOT make sense to you, he is not a Guru for you, and you must look elsewhere
If the person, instead of removing your confusion just adds to your confusion, and talks in a mysterious language and expects you to understand, he is NOT a Guru for you.
If the person says he will put his hand on your head and get you enlightened, he is NOT the right Guru for you
If someone says he will teach you Vedas for a fee, he is NOT a Guru...
So who would make a right Guru? If what a person says makes absolute sense to you, if you are less confused after talking to him, than you were before you approached him, if he connects well with you, if what he says seems rational, if he is speaking in a clear language that you can understand, then that person is fit to be your Guru
If you still have difficulty finding a Guru who fits your criteria, I can tell you who mine are, and you can take a look at their teachings and judge for yourself. Entirely up to you.
Swami Dayananda Saraswati ji (of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, *not* the Arya Samaj one)
Swami Paramarthananda ji
Swami Viditatmananda ji
Swami Tattvavidananda ji
Swami Pratyagbodhananda ji
here is a website with their teachings
www.avgsatsang.org
Click on any of their pictures and you will find a plethora of online resources on various topics
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Q. HOW TO BE A GOOD STUDENT?
A. Now that you (hopefully) picked a right Guru for you, having absolute faith in Dev (God), Guru (teacher), Shastra (scripture) is a must.
For the gain of knowledge, four graces are a must
God's grace
Guru's grace
Scripture's grace
Self grace
God's grace is always flowing, Guru's grace will flow once you find one, scriptural grace will be there as long as you respect knowledge, books, etc, and Self grace will be there as long as you are motivated to seek the ultimate end, which is Moksha.
Not having Self grace, is like being in possession of a Ferrari, but not pressing your foot down on the accelerator
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Q. WHO AM I?
I am the AtmA. AtmA iis sat chit ananda bramhan
SAT =
a) Does not change in time
b) Is independent of anything else for existence, but everything is dependent on it
c) Can never be negated. You can negate anything in the world, close your eyes, and you can say the sun and clouds don't exist, but try saying "I do not exist", and you will realize it is impossible, because even to say that I have to exist.
d) Cannot be objectified. Everything else is an object of your knowledge. You, the AtmA, are the sole witness, and nothing can objectify you
CHIT = Awareness, consciousness, chEtana, sAkshi, jnAtA, observer, witness... all of these words mean the same thing...
ANANDA = limitlessness (most people wrongly interpret it as 'bliss' or 'happiness'... ananda actually means limitlessness. AtmA has no limitations of space or time, as space and time too are dependent on AtmA
I know this answer is a little heavy, and if it doesn't make sense right now it is fine, it is not supposed to, for that you will have to do additional reading
The answer given here is too short
Please read my blog, I have transcribed Swamijis lectures in almost 45-50 pages over here, on "Who am I?"
http://atma-jnan.blogspot.com/
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2. WHAT IS THIS UNIVERSE?
The creator, the act of creation, and the created, is one and the same. This universe is simply a manifestation of bramhan, which is nothing but you.
Some of you might be in disbelief, and that is exactly why we need the right teacher to teach us the right things :)
Most of us have been brought up to believe you are a "part" of God, or a "seed" of God, when in reality you, the AtmA, are the self of all beings in this universe. Just as space present in 10 pots are not separate from one another, but the pots just appear to separate them, same way, AtmA, the consciousness, is non-separate, non-dual.
Again, for this, please go through the blog I gave the link to above, not enough space to explain it all here
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3. WHAT IS GOD?
Compare God to the ocean
Compare the individual to the wave
and Compare the self, the AtmA, to the water
The very content of the wave (water), is also the content of the ocean (water)...
You, the self, manifest as jeev (individual), jagat (universe), and ishvara (God)
Imagine, in a dream the dream floor, the dream sky, the dream people, the dream mountain etc, they are all manifested from you alone, and yet inside the dream they appear to be outside of you, when in reality they are all within you, a projection of your mind.
This entire universe is a projection of the self.
Again, this will not be digested by many of you, and might be considered as blasphemy, but these are the teachings of the Vedas, and here is the evidence :)
Sarvam khalvidam brahman- All that there is, is brahman (chAndogya Upanishad, chapter 6 verse 2, from the Sama Veda)
Ayam AtmA Brahman - This self (AtmA) is brahman (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 of the Atharva Veda)
Prajnanam Brahman - Consciousness is brahman ((Aitareya Upanishad 3.3 of the Rig Veda)
Tat tvam asi - You (the self) are that (brahman)...Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.7 of the Sama Veda)
Aham Brahman Asmi - I am brahman (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10 of the Yajur Veda)
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Q. WHAT IS BONDAGE?
A cowherd had two cows, he took them grazing and returned back. When he was about to tie them up he saw one rope was missing. A sadhu was passing by, he asked him what he should do, the sAdhu said that tie the first cow, and pretend to tie the second cow up. So the cowherd does that, and goes to sleep...
Next morning, both cows are still there. Then he unties the first one to go grazing, but the seoncd one doesnt follow, again the sadhu was meditating there, so now he says "pretend to untie the second cow", so he does that, and then the cow follows. We aren't bonded, we have simply been programmed by society, by our own ignorance, that we are tied down and "require to be freed"... you are ever free, you are the omniscient, omnipresent bramhan
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Q. WHAT IS LIBERATION?
A. Freedom from limitations. AtmA is asangha (untouched), mukta (free), shuddha (pure), akhanda (whole), purnam (complete)
I am ever liberated, I just need to accept it :)
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A. WHAT IS THE MEANS TO LIBERATION?
A. Remove the ignorance that "i am not free", don't be like the cow who thinks he is tied down... remove this ignorance through vedanta, with the guidance of a proper Guru.
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Q. AN EXCELLENT IDEA FOR CHARITY?
A. Any charity earns punia (goodwill/ merit), and all punia comes to us in the form of joy, when the time is right to fructify
Here are some ideas
Donate your organs upon death. You are not going to use them, why not allow a deprived individual to have access to your eyes, or kidneys, or a heart, or a liver? The amount of punia, you and your family will earn from this is enormous.
Do consider donating your organs, even if you don't, it is fine, but it is always a nice thing to do :)
Also think of donating blood if you don't feel too weak from it, it could help save a life, one never knows...
Donate money to orphans. By providing food, clothing, shelter and education to orphans, you are paving their way into a world in which they will grow, prosper and always be thankful for. It goes without saying that.
These are reliable places, where your funds go directly to the orphans, nothing is lost in between, if you know what I mean.
www.helpfoundation.org (HELP FOUNDATION)
www.aimforseva.org (AIM FOR SEVA)
Donate to old age homes, abandoned fathers and mothers, or those whose children have passed away, NEED your help, as they have no one else to look after them. Just as orphans are children, these old people are orphans of one kind. It is up to people like us to make a difference towards the end of their lives
Donate to Veda Pathshalas, where they teach the chanting of the Vedas to children, who carry forward our uninterrupted tradition. It takes 12 years for the best of students to master one branch of Vedic chanting, and a lifetime to understand it. Support them in their commendable pursuit, help them preserve our tradition, and donate for their livelihood
These are some of the most potent ways to donate one's excess wealth.
One's wealth is measured by how many lives he positively touches, not his bank balance.
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Q. WHAT IS THE BEST COMMENTARY ON THE GITA, THAT ONE CAN READ?
A. The best version of the Gita is one that correctly preserves the message of the Vedas, and does not contradict it by even a tiny bit.
So far I have found flaws in almost all of them. I find
'Bhagavad Gita Home Study' by Swami Dayananda (of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam) to be the most reliable commentary on the Gita that exists today. It is a book complied by his devotees based on 363 fantastic lectures on the Gita that he delivered in the 1980s. It is over 2000+ pages, and is the best version.
This book is not available for free download online, so the next best thing I can think of, is reading
'The Holy Geeta' by Swami Chinmayananda
Here you can find a free copy, there is also a download button to store it on your computer
http://www.scribd.com/doc/1374
*I do not recommend* reading Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita 'As it is', because truth be told, it is not "as it is', and has a lot of interpolations, and is not loyal to the message of the Gita, or the Vedas. Forgive me for saying so.
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Q. IS VISHNU GREATER THAN SHIVA? OR IS SHIVA GREATER THAN VISHNU?
A. No. There is no greater or lesser comparison here. Ishvara is Ishvara, and he comes to the devotee in whichever form the devotee wishes to invoke.
These are meaningless quarrels that people pick up. Krishna Bhagwan says in the Gita "pray to God with any name, with any form, and your prayers will go through"
I wish not to go into further details here, if you have doubts feel free to send me a message
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Q. CAN BHAKTI ALONE GIVE MOKSHA?
A. No. Bhakti is an action.
An action is a karma.
A karma bears a positive result or a negative result
Bhakti bears a positive result
Every result is limited
Moksha is a limitless/infinite gain, and once it is achieved there is no turning back.
A limited action cannot give a limitless result, and hence moksha can only come through self knowledge, by learning the teachings of the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita.
Chanting will help purify one's mind, it will prepare one to gain knowledge, it will make you ready to understand what are learning, and it will give you positive results in the way of finding a proper guru, giving birth in a family that supports your learning, to be born in the right place, and so on. Bhakti will give you all that you to get you ready for knowledge, but it is knowledge alone, and its firm assimilation, that will give moksha to you.
If you are searching for your car keys, and you keep on and on praying for them, God will send you a person (a Guru) to tell you
Hey child, your car keys are in your pocket. Then this knowledge will help you achieve that which is already yours
Moksh is called praptasya praptihih. It is already there, you just need the right knowledge to understand it, the right effort to assimilate it.
Bhakti will aid in this, but on its own, without knowledge, bhakti cannot give moksh.
To know more about prayers, please read my blog 'Purpose of Prayer', where I have transcribed Swamijis lectures for us, and again, message me for more details
http://purpose-of-prayer.blogs
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The topic of 'Gurus' is still full of misconceptions, so amongst other things I would like to clarify some more here
Q. DOES A GURU HAVE TO BE A LIVING ONE?
A. Yes, a Guru MUST be alive, in order to be called one. A dead Guru cannot clear your doubts, can he? No matter how great a Guru he might have been during his times, sadly you need someone today, in front of you, to take your questions one by one, and clear them.
The message or the intention of a great human being in the past can only reveal so much, but beyond a point you still have the need to clear matters with a person who you can interact with.
Ramana Maharishi, Swami Vivekanananda, Ramakrishna Paramhansa etc may have been good for their times, but simply relying on their books is not going to help.
This might come across as a bit strong, but it is the absolute truth. Even in our historical epics, everyone had a Guru '"in flesh". Arjuna had Krishna, Rama and his brothers had Sage Vashishta, and even your Guru will have a Guru, who will have a Guru, and so on. The tradition continues uninterrupted, this is called the Guru-shishya parampara, which is one of the most beautiful things in our culture.
So my suggestion is not to pick up books by random authors this way. Find someone to clear your doubts, I cannot stress it enough :)
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Q. CAN I FIND ANSWERS TO VEDANTA ON WIKIPEDIA OR BY GOOGLING?
A. No way. Our of thousands of unreliable websites, only a handful are good, and it takes a lot of discriminative prowess to even be able to know which is good and which isn't.
www.avgsatsang.org is one such fantastic website where you can learn.
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Q. CAN ONE BECOME A JEEVAN-MUKTA (AN ENLIGHTENED BEING) JUST BY MEDITATION?
A. No, you need to remove self ignorance in the form of knowledge.
Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 4, verse 38 says there is nothing more purifying than knowledge.
Gyanam (knowledge) alone gives Moksha. Bhakti and karma help attain Gyanam.
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Q. BUT LORD KRISHNA SAYS THAT IN KALYUG BHAKTI IS THE EASIEST WAY TO ACHIEVE MOKSHA
A. He doesn't. This is a misconception that has been passed on for generations now. Bhakti helps in the acquisition of knowledge, but only chanting the Lords name day and night will not be enough.
The gain of knowledge is a must, the Gita is extremely clear about this.
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Q. DO ALL RELIGIONS LEAD TO THE SAME GOAL?
A. Never. Every religion prescribes a different goal for their followers.
Sometimes even though the name of the goal may be the same, the description of that goal will differ
For example, in Hinduism and Jainism, the goal is moksha, but the definition and consequences of moksha are worlds apart, so the goal is not the same here, though the word seems to be the same one.
Then in Islam, Christianity and Judaism, the goal is attainment of heaven, which as Hindus, we consider a very temporary and useless goal for several reasons
Western religions believe heaven and hell are permanent states, law of karma very easily establishes that heaven and hell are results of paap and punia (demerit and merit), and no result is permanent. Hence heaven and hell are temporary stages.
Secondly, heaven is not absolute, and does not put an end to helplessness completely. No state of birth sets you free from limitations, moksha alone achieves that.
So no, all religions lead to different goals
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Q. WHAT IS SUPERIOR? KARMA YOGA, UPASANA YOGA OR GYAN YOGA?
A. All three are equally important. Karma yoga is basically doing the right actions with the right mental attitude. Bhakti too is a karma (as prayer is an action)
upAsana yoga is meditation, mental cleansing, focus, concentration and other such tasks.
gyAn yoga is the pursuit of knowledge, more specifically self knowledge
karma yoga is like the first rung of the ladder, which leads to the second rung called upAsana yoga, which leads to the third rung called gyAn yoga.
karma and upAsana lead to gyAn, and once gyAnam is firmly assimilated, that gives moksha.
So you cannot skip karma and upAsana, one MUST perform the right actions with the right attitude, and work towards mental purity, in order to gain self knowledge and get moksha
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Q. IF I SPEND MY LIFETIME STUDYING SCRIPTURES, BUT I DIE BEFORE I GAIN MOKSHA, WILL IT BE WASTED?
A. No, Lord Krishna promises that every effort put toward self upliftment, will never go wasted. The fruits of your results will carry forward to the next birth. You may have seen there are some children who grasp this knowledge very quickly for no apparent reason, even despite their parents not being very well aware.
If you have put enough effort in this life, knowledge will come flowing readily to you in the next life, if by chance you dont attain moksha towards the end of your previous life, so dont worry, your efforts aren't wasted.
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Q. I HAVE HEARD ONE MUST NOT STUDY THE MAHABHARATA AS IT LEADS TO QUARRELS IN THE FAMILY
A. Nonsense :)
This is pure superstition, one who understands the mAhAbhArata well, will actually refrain from getting into petty quarrels, because he will have learnt from the wisdom and mistakes of all the characters in the epic.
Do yourself a favour and study the mAhAbhArata from start to finish, it is my guarantee your family will not fight with you :)
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Q. IS EATING MEAT WRONG?
A. Any form of violence is wrong. Animals feel tremendous pains, due to their developed nervous system. They have pain receptors, which plants lack. Hence when you kill a goat, or a chicken, or any other sentient animal, the injury and pain caused to them will come back to you.
One of the Upanishads define food only as "plants".
If you wish to eat meat, go ahead, it is your personal choice, but especially if you are learning the scriptures, it is strongly recommended to be a vegetarian, but again it is up to you. No arm twisting involved here
In any case, take a look at this video and decide for yourself
http://video.google.com/videop
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Q. DO DEVAS IN HEAVEN LIVE FOREVER?
A. No, they have a limited lifespan, just like any of us. Yes they may live many years longer, much longer, but still not permanently.
Devas such as Indra etc, are actually titles, not names. Just as we have Prime Ministers and Presidents, Indra is the title for the King of the heavenly realm. It is a position, and different people can inhabit it
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Q. WHAT IS A HIGHER GOAL, HEAVEN OR MOKSHA?
A. Moksha, definitely. Heaven is temporary, moksha is eternal
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jivAtmA is *not* the same as jivA
AtmA = self
...
jivAtmA = the AtmA perceived on a micro (individual level)
paramAtmA = the very same AtmA, perceived on a macro (universal level)
jivA = mind+body complex enlivened by the AtmA
Hence the verse in kenopanishad "kenshitam patati preshitam manah"
In the presence of what entity does the mind move towards its sense objects
and the rest of the upanishad answers this question elaborately, as the self (non dual) of all beings.
how else do you explain the following verses from the vedAs and upanishads?
sarvam khalvidam brahman - All that there is, is brahman (sAma veda, chAndogyopanishad ch 6, verse 2)
Ayam AtmA brahman - this self is brahman (mAndukyopanishad atharva veda)
ekam advityam brahman - one non dual brahman alone
aham brahman asmi - I am brahman Br. upanishad, yajur veda)
prajnAnam brahman - consciousness is brahman (aitreyopanishad, rig veda)
tat tvam asi - you are that (brahman) (chAndogyopanishad, sAma veda
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Q. SOME SAY IDOL WORSHIP IS BAD, IS THAT TRUE?
A. No, that isn't true. Every means of worship is different. Some worship God through an idol, others worship God as the forces of nature, or as the residing entity of every living being. The best type of worship is a state of advaita, where you know that there is no separation between Self and God. Sometimes it is not possible to achieve this, especially when we are not in the best frames of mind, and idol worship is a highly effective bridge.
Q. CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT IS MEDITATION?
A. Dear Shirapthi
This is regarding the question you asked about meditation, in the Bhagavad Gita group....
There are 4 broad types of meditation
Relaxation
Concentration
Transformation
Expansion
Relaxation meditation is when you simply sit, and empty all your thoughts. What you are trying to do here is to not think of anything, and allowing the mind and body to relax... if thoughts go through your head, allow them to pass by and merely witness them, but dont become disturbed.... let them flow past you like a river, and observe them, slowly they will stop and you will feel relaxed
Concentration meditation is when you are trying to build- as the name says- concentration and focus. In relaxation, you were letting go of all thoughts, here you are purposely trying to hold on to them, this is called dhArana. The longer you are able to hold on to a thought, the more focusing capacity you have, the more you are in control of your mind
Transformation is the third type, where you are trying to transform your thinking from wrong to right, from good to bad. In this kind of meditation, you first gain knowledge, and then you try to replace your old conradictory thoughts with this newly gained knowledge, and bring about a transformation in thoughts
The last is expansion meditation. Here I would like to tell you, almost everywhere you read, the AtmA is described as a part or parcel of God. In reality, everything is the AtmA alone, and there is only ONE AtmA, which is you, the self. You are neither part nor product of God, all that there is, is the self alone, one all pervading chetanA... consciousness.
When consciousness is expressed through the body, we call it a jeeva. When consciousness is expressed through the entire universe as a whole, we call it ishvara, but in reality it is consciousness alone, which is the AtmA...
So in expansion meditation, you sit, and imagine that you are first one little point in the head... then you expand and imagine that you are covering your whole body, then the whole room, then the entire floor, the full building...
Then you imagine you, the AtmA, are covering the entire street, the city, the state, the country, the continent, the earth, the sun, the solar system, the galaxy...the universe
Imagine that everything that exists is you alone, because you are existence... Space is you, time is you, matter is you, energy is you. There is you alone, and this AtmA is expressed differently from different life forms
These are the 4 main types of meditations, I have simplified it as much as possible, hope it helps :)
Q. HOW DO PRAYERS BRING RESULTS?
Statutory Warning: Long reply ahead :D
Prayer is a karma.
Karma is an action
Actions can be dhArmic (the right sort) or adhArmic (the wrong kind)
An action earns a result
Every result can either be a favourable result (punia) or an unfavourable result (pApam)
dhArmic actions bring punia, adhArmic actions bring pApam...
Prayer is a dhArmic action, which is an acknowledgement of one's weakness, as well as a desire to get over it. When we pray, we are not giving into our weakness, rather we are identifying it, and praying for that weakness or debility to go away. This comes forth as a result which helps us attain a result if that is what we want, or to avert a result, if that is something we don't want...
So God does not get "pleased" with you because you pray, and give you goodies, rather God simply gives you a result of your own actions (which were in the form of prayers)...
Now some prayers may be fulfilled, some may not be fulfilled. Why? Think of it this way...If you have a 100 K debt, and you pray for it to go away, now instead of 100 K you just have 80 K debt, you will feel your prayer was useless and did not work, but you won't realize that the prayer helped you get rid of 20 K debt... this is just an example to understand, that even when we get bad results, if we had not prayer, the results would be worse, so one cannot dismiss the efficacy of prayers just because we don't always get what we pray for...
Suppose you love somebody a lot, and if your karma does not allow you to get married to that person, the debt example doesn't apply, right? Because you can't get a "part" of that person, so in such a case, the prayer helps you get over the person and causes a reduction in mental agony :) So prayers are ALWAYS GOOD
now coming to your specific questions
A)Yes, prayers can be for spiritual, mental, physical growth, as well as the well being of others... you can pray for anything that is good for yourself or for others, but you should never pray for the harm of others, because if you do that, be sure that the same result will come to you too...
B) A "wise man" who has gained enlightenment through self knowledge has no need to pray, but UNTIL we become wise men, we should pray for wisdom and knowledge.
However, though a wise man does not need to pray, he will still pray. Why? It is called shishtAchAr- to set an example for others... people follow their teachers. If the teacher who is enlightened doesn't pray, the non-enlightened students will copy the same and stop, hence as a social responsibility, and out of compassion for the less fortunate, the wise man who has totally owned up to his true nature will still continue praying, so that others may follow his example...
Q. WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SELF AND GOD?
2) This requires some reading of Tattva Bodha, to be entirely consistent, but I will give a very brief answer here, otherwise an entire book could be written about it...
Think of the Ocean as God/ Ishvara
Think of the wave as the individual
Think of the water, as the self (AtmA)
The very content of God, is also the content of the wave, and that is you, the self...
There are billions and trillions and quadrillions of living beings in the universe, countless really, and yet the AtmA, the self of them all is one alone. (ekam advityam brahman)
Hence, while physical bodies (sthula sharira) are many, subtle bodies (the mind complex, which is what reincarnates from birth to nbirth) are many, the self (consciousness) is just one...
Just as the waves are many, its content is water alone.
The entire sum total of all that there is in this universe is God. The sum total of everything that is sentient, everything that is inert, which comes alive in the presence of you, the self, is God... This is what God is... You are the content of God, as well as of the individual. Everything is the self. Zero contradictions
Q. WHY PRAY TO GOD IN THE FORM OF AN IDOL?
Having a form of God helps in focusing and concentration. Praying to a formless God is so difficult. God is formless, in reality, but a form is what allows us to personalize, focus on and feel connected with a God...
If you are comfortable, you can even pray to God as a formless entity. When everything in the universe is God alone, God can both bear a form, as well as be without one... Space is God, time is God, matter is God, energy is God... everything is the ocean, and the substance of this ocean is the water, same way everything in this universe is God, and you the AtmA are the substance of it
Q. On rebirth
To clarify, when we talk about "your actions", it is not the self performing actions, but the mind-body complex that is enlivened by the self, that does an action.
Having said that, based on the actions you perform, you take an appropriate birth.
If you have gathered a LOT of puniam, you will go to heaven to expend it. Heaven is like a 8-star place where you go to expend the fruits of your good action. It's like a holiday, from which you have to come back
if you have gathered a LOT of pApam, you will go to hell, to expend it. Hell is like a prison where you suffer for your wrong deeds.
When I use the words "holiday" and "prison", im giving you an analogy of how you would enjoy or suffer over there...
Now if you have done mildly bad actions, you may be born as a human but with a not so great life as you have right now. If you have done mildly good actions, you will be born in another human form that experiences more pleasure than you do now
So how is it determined whether due to pApam you go to hell, or are born as an animal or plant or a microscopic being? This is based entirely on the balance of pApa and punia in your sanchit karma bag, and there is no general rule for saying do this karma and you go to hell, do that karma and you are born as an animal, etc.
This only ishvara knows, and we accept it as such.
Now the actions i spoke about so far, are materialistic actions, and their corresponding results.
There are other actions called sakAm karma, which give an even better result, a spiritual result
We've been a cockroach, a dustmite, a crab, a donkey, and several other
creatures, as per the 84 lakh yonis defined in the vedAs.
We've been to narak several times whenever our pApam baggage was high
We've also been to svarg when our puNia was particularly overflowing
Out of all these varities of species we were born into, and places we could
go to, there were several instances when we were born as human beings
Our first few human births were the ones we would expect to see, animal like
instincts... chasing after pleasures, sex, assets, doing wrong things to
people to gain selfish ends...
Often we've been demoted to lower species or even hell, due to our inhumane,
humanly actions...
then after making back and forth trips, possible there was a human birth
where we stopped doing things that were wrong to others... we still chased
pleasures, but in an honest manner...
we worked hard and fulfilled these pleasures, our puNia ran out, and so did
these pleasures
a few births of doing this, then we decided to do good karma along with
enjoying these pleasures, so now we help others... not only are we honest,
but also helpful... the pleasures still come and go
even more births pass by, and then we begin getting disillusioned by too
many pleasures, and instead of doing karma for materialistic gain, we start
doing karma for gaining CHITTA SHUDDHI . We pray, we selflessly help others,
we set a good example through our behaviour etc...
Now, the puNia we receive through these actions are of a shuddh kind, as
opposed to the pleasurable puNias such as a mercedes benz, winning a jackpot
etc...
This new wonderful Punia presents itself miraculously. Now you begin
wondering "who am I?", and the puNia was just waiting for you to ask this,
now it presents to you dev-guru-shAstra, and a curious mind to learn from
them
the puNia you performed for purification of your mind, is now going to
propel you towards Atma gyAnam...
some more time passes by, with the grace of bhagwan, with the grace of your
guru, with the grace of vedA mAtA, and your own grace (AtmA anugrAm), you
finally understand the nature of jeev-jagat-ishwar
after doing adhyanan and abhyAs, you are finally a gyAni, the bonds of
sansAram have been broken, you are already liberated while alive (jeevan
mukta), now your prarabdh simply plays its course, and when it runs out,
just like a spinning top loses its momentum, your body falls and is ready to
be taken to the crematory, and the long beginingless cycle of birth and
rebirth has ended, your physical body returns back to the pancha bhutA (five
elements), your sukshma sharir dissolves into bramhan, and your kArana
sharrir was destroyed the moment you became a gyAni. You are now the
universe and so much more, that you always were, but never quite understood
how. Shrishti mAtA itself is within you
This is why Chitta Shuddhi is so important, without it there is no gyAnam,
and without gyAnam, there is no moksh.
