The Vedas and the Four Pathways to God

The Vedas - Sacred Scriptures of Hinduism

Veda comes from the Sanskrit root vid, meaning “to know”, which ultimately is to have knowledge of truth; God-given truth that is. Yoga is not just a form of exercise, but it is a way of spiritual practice or a method of training designed to lead to integration or union with god. The Vedas consist of four collections with the Rig Veda being one of the four Vedas that contain ancient suktas (hymns) that is dedicated to the Aryan Gods. In Bresnan chapter two, it focuses on the Vedas, the multitude of gods and goddesses, and their responsibilities. In the video Hindu Spiritual Pathway, it focuses on the four pathways to God.

Bresnan mentioned that, "The Vedas provided the Brahmin priests with all the sacred verses they needed to properly conduct the great rituals of the Vedic sacrifice." (Bresnan, p. 21). The Brahmins recited out loud the hymns in the Rig Veda in order to link to the gods. Whereas, Hindu Spiritual Pathway mentioned the four pathways of yoga one can take to find god. Both sources have similarities in that their main emphasis is to have a connection to god. However, the difference between the two sources is their way to connect to god. 

Worshiping God

In Hindu Spiritual Pathway, Sonia indicated “By living a good life, service to others is a way of worshiping god.” (3:33-3:36) In comparison, Bresnan stated “They worshiped the gods in order to maximize the good things in life.” (Bresnan, p. 21) Therefore, both sources worship god, but in different ways.  

The Four Paths of Yoga

The four pathways of yoga are karma, jnana, bhakti, and raja, which all take different route to god. I've always thought that I only needed to have a spiritual connectivity with a higher power, but never had the knowledge that there's a specific pathway one would need to take in order to reach God. I've always thought that as long as I'm a good person, god will see the good in me, thus bringing good karma to me. Therefore, I was very amazed of learning about the four pathways of yoga.

Praying

Of the four pathways, I’m not sure which pathway I will take yet, but for now, I can definitely say that I’m not raja. My mind is too busy to remain still, which will prevent me from controlling my body and mind. I believe my parents are taking the bhakti pathway because they listen to Christian music and read the bible daily. In the video Hindu Spiritual Pathway, it stated that the path of devotion or bhakti "involves worship and adoration of a personal form through reading scriptures, singing, and praying." (6:59-7:04) Whenever my mom hears a verse from a Christian song that really speaks to her, she would dissect the verse and explain its meaning to me.

In Hindu Spiritual Pathway, they asked which pathway is the best, and Meera perfectly stated “You can’t choose which is the best, but you can choose which one is the best for yourself.” (13:22-13:25) I agree with Meera because everyone is different. Hopefully we will all be able to choose the best pathway for us to find god.





Bresnan, Patrick. "Chapter 2." Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed., Pearson, 2013, pp. 21.

Hindu Spiritual Pathways. 2006. 

Painuly, Ashish. “4Paths of Yoga – Karma, Jnana, Bhakti, & Raja Yoga.” Fitsri, 2 May 2019. https://fitsri.com/yoga/4-paths-of-yoga

Caste System: Social Classes in India

Harappa in 3D by artist Chris Sloan

Harappa civilization was a significant prehistory of northwestern India. Located along the River Indus, it is one of the urban excavation site uncovered by archaeologists in the 1920's. As mentioned in both Bresnan chapter one: India before the Vedas and the video Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, these people left very little behind about their culture. Harappa along with other cities within the Indus Valley Civilization was as mentioned by Ancient History, "in its prime, but also of preceding and succeeding culture."

Not much is known about the people of Harappa. As indicated by Bresnan, the people of Harappa "eventually declined and almost entirely died out." Similarly, the video Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, stated "when the water dried up, the cities were abandoned." From these two sources, the theory as to why the city of Harappa no longer exists may be due to the Sarasvati River drying out, which may have been their source of life.

Caste System - highest to lowest ranking from top to bottom

Although Harappa is known to be one of the earliest form of urbanization in India, India flourished into its own nation and carried on historical rituals, traditions, and social life learned from generation after generation. Varna, the caste system, or social classes divides Hindus into five categories. This determination is based on their birth, wealth, or profession. Ranked from most important to least, there are the Brahman, Ksatriya, Vaisya, Sudra, and Dalit. 

Caste system is something new to me and I have never been informed of such social class existing in India. Even though caste system was never mentioned in the Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization, it is considered to be an important aspect of India. Caste system may have been brought into India's society after the declined of Harappa. Brensnan mentioned that "the caste system was formally renounced in the Indian constitution of 1949"; however, the video India's Dalit: Twist of Faith showcased that social classes still exist. So, is caste system still practiced in India? 

Dalit in India

Having been able to get a glimpse of how the way caste system work in India, it helped me better understand Indian culture and tradition. Most Indians are in the dalit social class. They have a lot of hardship because of having to work in sewers and being exposed to dangerous gases and bacteria, which is an unhealthy occupation. It's very saddening that most of them are illiterate, even writing their own name is difficult to do. In spite of the fact that caste system was renounced, it may be challenging to discard of what's been carried on from generation after generation. 

Bresnan, Patrick. "Chapter 1." Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. 5th ed., Pearson, 2013, pp. 7–7.

India’s Dalits: Twist if Faith. 2009.

Indus: The Unvoiced Civilization. Princeton, NJ, 2003.