The Importance of the Vedas

The Vedas have infinite depth of meaning. All may not be able to comprehend the inner meaning of the Vedic teachings. The earth's gravitational force existed even before it was discovered by Newton after rigorous experimentation. Similarly, the eternal truths hidden in the Vedas were perceived by the rishis (seers) after intense penance and sadhana (spiritual austerities). Unless one practises their teachings, one can never find happiness or peace. In order to realize the Divine, you have to practise the precepts prescribed in the Vedas. No doubt, even listening to the recitation of the Vedas is itself capable of purifying your mind and elevating you to a higher level. For, it is Shabdha Brahman (God embodied as sound). If you ruminate over them and practise their teachings in your life, you can imagine the magnitude of the bliss you will attain. - Baba - Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol-26, Ch-33


This link will take you to a Rudrum site on which you can both hear the Vedas being sung and read the text




Sai Ram,
Swami has declared that (in addition to "fostering the devotees"), His primary mission is "to open your eyes to the Glory of the Vedas and to convince you that the Vedic injunctions, when put into practice, will yield the results promised" (Sathya Sai Speaks, "Open Your Eyes", vol. 3). So, I thought it might be useful to provide a couple of links to translations of the Upanishads; which are sometimes referred to as "the milk of the Vedas". 

The Upanishads are the parts of the Vedas which deal directly with the knowledge of God. 

The first link is to a web site I came across that I felt was very accessible and readable. The second is one of the most scholarly of all translations of the Upanishads, by Prof. Max Muller. Sai Baba himself has quoted Prof. Muller on occasion, And, Swami Vivekananda* once made a special visit to Prof Muller's home, during a trip to London, just for the privilege of meeting him. In a letter to a friend, Vivekananda called Prof. Muller "the Vedantist of Vedantists".

The Upanishads have also profoundly influenced such western thinkers as Goethe, Schopenhauer, Emerson and Thoreau, to name but a few. They are simply wonderful, and if you aren't already familiar with them, I think you'll realize very quickly why Swami has made our appreciating them, such an important part of his overall Mission.
Sai Ram!
Upanishads Introduction and KENA UPANISHAD
The Upanishads, Max Müller, translator
* BTW: The entire "Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" as well as the complete works of Swami Vivekananda have also been put online. (Swami, of course, speaks of them both with the highest praise.)
Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda
In Sai Love,
Richard Margolin
Sathya Sai Baba Center of Manhattan
manssb@aol.com

For my part, I love the Penguin Edition of selected Upanishads, with its wonderful introduction by Juan Mascaro, who also translated them.