Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Saṃskāras

  1. #1

    Saṃskāras

    Namaste to all,

    Has there been any distinction made between genetic and Self saṃskāras in the Sanskrit literature? I ask that because while I feel a connection to Dharmic civilization, at the same time, we've noticed behaviors that are passed down from generation to generation within our families, like my childhood fear of the ocean when I went on my first boat ride (my great-grandfather and his sons rode out the hurricane of Galveston, just barely, and helped picked up dead bodies and carried them to morgues for identification and subsequent rites), or my current fear of flying in my 40s (Mom had the same thing happen at this age).

    Dhanyavād

  2. #2

    Re: Saṃskāras

    Namaste dA,

    Genetics is part of the group karma. Souls take birth primarily in the same group. This is easy to understand once we follow the continuity of the flow of karma.
    So sometimes this flow is seemingly interrupted by cataclysmic events or tragic incidents. In all reality, however, the flow is only redirected, not stopped.
    This is just my opinion.
    Things to remember:

    1. Life = yajña
    2. Depth of Āstika knowledge is directly proportional
    to the richness of Sanskrit it is written in
    3. Āstika = Bhārata ("east") / Ārya ("west")
    4. Varṇa = tripartite division of Vedic polity
    5. r = c. x²
    where,
    r = realisation
    constant c = intelligence
    variable x = bhakti

  3. #3
    Join Date
    December 2013
    Location
    Anāhata
    Age
    49
    Posts
    394
    Rep Power
    1771

    Re: Saṃskāras

    Namaskar Ji,

    I am no expert on scripture, as I am still reading and learning myself. I don't know if the ancients had a concept of 'Genetics' in the way that we do today, though they certainly had concepts of disease and familial inherited problems, as well as effects to a person's life based on the date and time of their birth.

    I think your question might come under the category of "Jyotishya", and be better answered by one of the students of that science.

    My opinion: Just as the positions of certain planets and stars at the exact moment of our birth in any life sets in place the Doshas that we will need to bring to fruit the seeds of Karmas we are due to reap in this life, and as their positions throughout our lives help to bring those growing fruits to maturity throughout our lives, Genetics is just another way of doing the same. It's a big system, the Navagraha and Devas cannot do it alone, Genetics and Family and Society all have their parts to play. Thus, the genetics of our bodies, the families that gave us birth, the families that raise us - these can be different - and the society we are born in all play into the संस्कार, Saṃskāra, of a life.

    Interestingly, the same word means the rites of passage in Hindu culture and in modern Hindi can be used to mean someone's cultural upbringing.

    ~Pranam
    Last edited by Aanandinii; 29 March 2015 at 10:39 PM. Reason: removal of a plural where it shouldn't be
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

  4. #4

    Re: Saṃskāras

    NamaskAr Ancient and Anandiniji

    Our ancients certainly had not only a concept of genetics but also deep knowledge about it. The RushIs were genetic engineers. They could create life in a pot. Some of them did. However, along with that they had a very high sense of morals, ethics and regard and concern for the Universal well-being. They would never misuse their knowledge.
    Now you may say this does not mean they knew genetics, as in chromosomes and DNA but they actually did. If Veda was revealed, this is part of veda.

    ---------------

    Ancient, many years ago I had the same qn -- do our genes carry memory ? Is this saMskAra that gets carried from birth to birth?
    SaMskAra are in the realm of prakRutI not purusha. The purusha is untouched, but "wears" the saMskAras as a dress.

    It may be said that when the same saMskAra-pattern fingerprint comes back / repeats - we call it genetic, gene, generation.


    Here is what Shri KRshNa says:

    BG 15.8
    sharIraM yadavAproti yacchApyutkAmatIshwarah: |
    gRuhItvaitAni saiMyAti vAyurgandhAnivAshyAt ||
    Just as the wind carries the fragrance from an object, similarly the Lord, Ishwara of the body, i.e. jIvAtmA, while leaving 'a' body carries the mind and senses away and takes them with him into the new body that is acquired.

    How can the jIvAtmA carry "mind and senses" ? This is the sUkshma sharIra (subtle body). What it means is it carries the impressions acquired by the mind and senses. The rose smells sweet. The peacock looks pretty. I love mangoes. It is "cool" to fly an airplane. I like living by the river etc.
    The vAsanA (desires) acquired as a result of taught/acquired samskara is also a part of the equation of karma -- which Kalicharanji has touched upon.

    impressions = saMskAra, and guess who and what play a role in your acquiring saMskAra ?
    -- past life saMskAra
    -- current life environment - society
    -- current life parents
    -- current life friends , siblings, relatives, teachers, role models, idols, suroundings, nature, animals.
    -- individual and group/mass/cultural/community attitudes

    -- political scene and thinks taken for granted
    -- concepts and values ingrained subconsciously -- absorbed like a sponge...

    One note: The word Ishwara in the shloka bg 15.8 can be taken as
    a) jIvAtmA since it is still wrapped in saMskAra, or as
    b) the inner-most paramAtmA whose sharIra (body-layer-cover) is the jIvAtmA whose sharIra (body-layer-cover) is the sUkshma-sharIra (subtle body) who eventually attains a sthUla sharIra (gross bosy).

    The 5 kosha (layers):
    shtula sharIra - gross bosy - annamaya kosha
    prANamaya kosha - vital body airs
    sUkshma sharIra - subtle body - manomaya kosha - at the level of mind
    vidnyAnamaya kosha - buddhi - intellect level
    Anandamaya kosha - beyond intellect -- this is where the jIvAtmA wants to be -- transcending all logic and intellectual arguments
    The jIvAtmA does this by interaction with paramAtmA by His Grace (of the paramAtmA). The jIvAtmA then does not care about any worldly ties and loses the ties in the form of saMskAra -- or the saMskAra may remain but they are not powerful enough to create further vAsanA (desires) in that direction to get back into samsAra (world). Even if she did, the world does not bother her since the eternal bond with the Lord is now revived

    he nAtha nArAyaNa vAsudeva ~


    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

  5. #5

    Re: Saṃskāras

    Very interesting! It seems to be I am losing ties to this world as far as material and political desires go. I have felt for a long time that this is my last life on this planet (I have no children and never married, and I never was able to develop the typical artha of an American - I am almost 50, and I have already pared down what was considered small holdings of personal things, and I have largely skipped the 2nd or 3rd stage of life and am headed for the studying stage of my life...). I do not want to come back here, unless Dharmic life can be restored to a degree and I return to living in India.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    December 2013
    Location
    Anāhata
    Age
    49
    Posts
    394
    Rep Power
    1771

    Re: Saṃskāras

    Namaskar Smaranam Ji,
    Quote Originally Posted by smaranam View Post
    Our ancients certainly had not only a concept of genetics but also deep knowledge about it. The RushIs were genetic engineers. They could create life in a pot. Some of them did. However, along with that they had a very high sense of morals, ethics and regard and concern for the Universal well-being. They would never misuse their knowledge.
    Now you may say this does not mean they knew genetics, as in chromosomes and DNA but they actually did. If Veda was revealed, this is part of veda.
    Well, I was thinking more along the lines of epigenetics, exome-genomics and proteomics, but that's neither here nor there. Your reply doesn't surprise me in the least, as I've had similar conversations and have a long standing suspicion that the Ancients knew a heck of a lot more than we do in all fields. We're just rediscovering it in our own fairly limited manner.

    Of course, there is no if. The Vedas are indeed revealed scripture. But my question is, would you be able to point me to the parts of the Vedas that speak of it? Or even a general reference to begin reading from? I intend to fully re-read a better translation in the future but am currently reading a few other books and can't take on a full re-reading of another at the moment.

    Thank you so much for your reply above!

    ~Pranam
    ~~~~~
    What has Learning profited a man, if it has not led him to worship the good feet of Him who is pure knowledge itself?
    They alone dispel the mind's distress, who take refuge at the feet of the incomparable one.
    ~~Tirukural 2, 7

    Anbe Sivamayam, Satyame Parasivam

  7. #7

    Re: Saṃskāras

    Quote Originally Posted by Aanandinii View Post
    But my question is, would you be able to point me to the parts of the Vedas that speak of it? Or even a general reference to begin reading from? I intend to fully re-read a better translation in the future but am currently reading a few other books and can't take on a full re-reading of another at the moment.
    Namaste
    There is historical evidence in many places in shAstrA that shows the RshIs
    1. brought beings to life from bones of a dead or dying (Ref: Shrimad BhAgvat Canto 4 Dhruva's descendant Vena -- who was born very cruel becs his mother was the daughter of MrutyU (death). He was dangerous to all beings and finally died. The Rshis chanted mantra and took tissues and such from his body to create a thug called NishAda who inherited all Vena's bad qualities. After this they churned the remaining parts to give rise to bodies with very good qualities taken up by King Pruthu and his wife Archi who were aMsha (partial avatar) of VishNu and Lakshmi. Pruthu ruled the earth in a just manner bringing peace and prosperity. ]

    2. There are other stories elsewhere such as life being born without parents. Such as life growing in a vessel monitored by a RshI . This is like in-vitro fertilization, but there could be more to it that that.

    3. We have in the BhAgavat stories of Kashyap and his wives bringing into existence various species of birds and sarpa - -- as if it was all planned by the Supreme Lord and assigned to the Prajapatis and Manus.

    Regarding the science of genetics as documented theory --- we know that
    a) Veda was transmitted orally -- from Guru to shishya
    b) It is said that only 6% of written Veda remain, with the foreign invasions on BhArat Varsha. Even these are not straight reads. They have deeper meanings, significance, and not always on the lines of our modern reading and writing.

    Whatever we have we know that the branches of gaNita -- mathematics, vyAkraN - SaMskRut grammar, Ayurveda -- profound healing health science which the modern day folks are turning to rapidly, VaimAnika shAstra -- science of aeronautics, building flying machines --- even spaceships
    There is no doubt there was space travel and routine communication with other beings.

    Maharshi Mahesh Yogi had done a deep study of the Vedas and has explained the Vedas in terms of the entire human physiology -- like a medical science. You will like these websites :

    1. Dhanur Veda -- biochemistry and immune system : http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/dhanur_veda.htm
    2. Rg and SAma reading and map to human physiology
    http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/fort...e_views/Rk.gif
    3. SAma and all branches of Veda : http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/sama_veda.htm

    http://www.mumpress.com/vedic-litera...skrit/e16.html
    https://www.mum.edu/maharishi-vedic-science/

    Richard Thompson -- Shrila PrabhupAda's disciple, explains scientific knowledge in Shrimad BhAgavat including DNA engineering, yuga cycles, astronomy, big bang, UFOs
    http://wn.com/dr_richard_thompson_ex...ent_vedic_view

    MahaRshi Univ Sustainable Living https://www.mum.edu/sustainable-living

    Hazards of today's Genetic Engineering -& how simple Vaidic living was -- http://is1.mum.edu/mumpress/p_e07.html

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK_R1BmkzmY --
    Very Interesting -- prehistoric vaidic advanced civilization - evidence

    The Veda experts here should come and add more to this.

    om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ~

    Last edited by smaranam; 06 April 2015 at 10:51 PM.
    || Shri KRshNArpaNamastu ||

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •