Why do the original Vedas give so little knowledge about the ultimate goal of bhakti?
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Hare Krishna, question from Karuneshwari Mataji, why do the original Vedas contain so little knowledge of the ultimate goal? From the classification of the Vedic literature, it seems that the Vedas have only karma kanda and little bit of jnana kanda. We know that Vyasadeva felt dissatisfied and that's why he ultimately wrote Bhagavatam, which gives bhakti and Bhagavata also gives bhakti, the Puranas also give bhakti. But why do the original Vedas have so little knowledge of the ultimate goal? Yes, most people are interested in karma kanda, but surely there were people who were interested in the ultimate goal also, even a few people were there.
Answer, ye yatha mam prapadyante tam sathayyo bhajamy aham. Krishna says that as all people surrender unto me, I reward accordingly. So the Vedic literature also have this principle of reciprocity that they reciprocate with our desires.
They are often compared to Kalpataru, a desire-fulfilling tree. So whatever is the desire of people, that is what they provide. So since most people in general are materialistic, so their material desires are fulfilled in the Vedic literature.
Now if somebody studies the Vedic literature carefully, one will find a thin thread of transcendence running through the Vedic literature. There are descriptions about how Vishnu is Trivikrama, how there is some God above all, some reality beyond the God, there is some contemplation on that reality. But it is not self-evident because that is not the primary purpose of the Vedic literature.
So now we need to understand that leading a life of material religiosity, of aparadharma, of dharma-arthakama, it is not a bad thing. It is also a virtuous thing because we have become connected with the ultimate goal of the Vedic literature. So we are fortunate and we tend to consider anything less than the ultimate as valueless.
But no, it is not. It is also valuable. In fact, we see that the Indian civilization, what we could call the Vedic civilization, that is practically speaking the longest surviving civilization.
And it has survived, not just survived, but it has survived quite prosperously except for the recent few centuries when there was a lot of foreign aggression and devastation and exploitation. But still it has survived and prospered for millennia. And that is because these principles of dharma-arthakama leading ultimately to moksha, they are principles for materially sustainable living.
So in general, if you want to envision it, there is a gradual path upwards, which may take bahunam janmanam ante, but it is also taking people upwards. And then there is a rapid path upwards. Now when the rapid path is available and when people have the intelligence and the determination to take the rapid path, then the gradual path may be undesirable.
But when people are not fortunate enough to have knowledge of this, then even the gradual upward path is valuable and the majority of the people will not take the rapid path. And although Krishna tells in 2.45 in the Bhagavad Gita, that the Vedas talk about three modes, go beyond the three modes. But then Krishna also says that manushyanaam sahasreshu kashchid yathati siddhaye, yathatam api siddhanam kashchanmam vetti tattvataha, that few people actually endeavor for perfection and even among those who endeavor thus, very few, one among thousands actually come to know him in truth.
So the pursuers of the ultimate truth are few and now Krishna is not talking about Kalyuga, he's talking about the time of, he's speaking this at the time of end of Dvapariga, where overall civilization was much more dharmic than what it is now. So even at that time, those who were seekers of transcendence, of the highest transcendent of reality, were not too many. Now because we have Shetana Mahaprabhu's mercy, Ishwara Prabhupada's mercy, we have got the access way to the highest truth.
So that is the highest mercy and we are fortunate that we are able to access the highest mercy. But we should not think of the Vedic literature as misleading or not informing about the ultimate goal. They are informing, they are pointing towards the ultimate goal, but they are doing it in a progressive transitional way, which may be gradual, but which also accommodates the level of most people.
So now we see without dharma, artha, kama, there is so much misery in society in various ways. Although there is advanced technology, which creates the illusion of progress and comfort, but people are suffering, people are miserable. So when there is only pursuit of artha and kama without dharma, then there is far greater misery.
And dharma, artha, kama are much more soundly progressive, even materially and gradually they create a foundation for spiritual progress also. So we should not trivialize or minimize unduly the pursuit of dharma, artha, kama. Yes, there is a verse in the Bhagavatam, which says that the Vedas simply mislead with their talks about heavenly happiness, but that is the Bhagavatam is talking from the transcendental perspective.
The Bhagavatam is being addressed to a person who is about to die and he needs to, Parishit Maharaj needs to focus his mind on the absolute truth. But that doesn't mean that they are misleading for all people. The point is those who can pursue transcendence, for them to get caught in elevation to heaven, that is undesirable.
But for those who cannot pursue liberation, for them to have heavenly elevation is desirable. So the Vedas accommodate the general nature of people and they facilitate their gradual growth and if somebody is sincere in the quest, then even through the Vedas, one will be guided internally as well as externally by the thin thread of transcendence towards the conclusion of devotion that is there in the Vedas. Thank you.