Know the Vedas

Mr. Vidya Sagar Garg is a retired IT professional. He worked for large financial corporation in Chicago area for many years. He is well versed in Vedic Philosophy including Vedas, Manusmriti, Upnishads and Shastras. He has been practicing and teaching Vedic philosophy, yoga meditation, pranayama, most of his adult life. He founded ‘Arya Samaj of Chicagoland’ in Chicago 1986. He has given talks at various universities and other organizations in Chicago and Indianapolis. He also shares Vedic wisdom through booths at the fairs and festivals. He also has an online group where he parts this knowledge.

On the question of life and death, there is too much confusion in this world. It is blind leading the blind. The truth is rare and very difficult to find; it is like finding a needle in a haystack. There are only a few who take a logical, rational and natural approach to understand the phenomena of life, birth and death. Most approaches are driven by the selfish motives of individuals or organizations. As a matter of fact, understanding this phenomena is of the utmost importance. It is a personal responsibility to take care of oneself, since no body else can or will.

The Vedas are the oldest and first books found in the human library. The Vedas are the books of knowledge. They contain all types of knowledge, including spiritual, material, natural and societal. The Vedas were revealed with the first human life on earth, ad passed down verbally generation after generation. It would be unjust of the creator of the universe to create this wonderful creation and not to provide the road map for human journey on this earth. Knowledge of the Vedas is beyond time and place, it was true in the beginning and it is true now.

‘Know thy Vedas’ is an attempt to give the basic principles of the Vedas directly related to human beings. The Vedas answer many unanswered questions regarding life, its purpose and its destination. The approach is logical, rational, natural and scientific. The road map it gives is free from blind faith, dogma, rituals or any other senseless activities or beliefs. Based on the many proven stories surrounding reincarnation, it is well known fact that the soul never dies, it keeps soming back in a different form. One can watch such stories on youtube.com under reincarnation. Soul in its journey carries born with extra ordinary talents are examples of their previous journeys. Even some animals display human like behavior; which forces one to think, if the animal had been human in the past life. Knowledge of the Vedas is priceless, and so is human life. Learning this knowledge and using it righteously opens the door for a bright future, now and beyond.

Human life is short. The attempt is made to answer the question of what lies beyond this life. Reading the book requires open mind and logical, rational and natural approach. The fact is death will come and everyone is responsible alone for their life on earth and beyond, and nobody both nobody will be able to help.

Being born in an Arya Samajist family with my late father having been the President of Arya Samaj in Burma before the World War 2 and then again in Hoshiarpur in India, and then my brother continuing the tradition in the same capacity to this day, I feel gratified to be asked to write a "Foreword" for Shri Vidya Sagar Garg’s book ‘Know thy Vedas….’

Vedas are the source of all ‘Knowledge’ and form the basis of our Hindu Philosophy. They were revealed by God to Rishis at the dawn of civilization and have since remained the very foundation of all our lives. The essence of the knowledge they depict about the ‘eternal truth’ of life, its purpose and meaning forms the core of all Vedic wisdom; without it we would likely deprive our souls of its essential sustenance.

Shri Garg’s book ‘Know thy Vedas…’ is a precise, succinct and concise introduction to the vast wealth of knowledge encompassed in the Vedas. The gist of that wisdom is laid bare here to create an appetite in us to discover more and pursue our search beyond the pages of this book. I found it to be lucid account accessible to all and sundry with its clarity and directness. I would recommend it strongly to all who wish to learn about the kernel of Hindu philosophy in its true form.

**Contents and Sample Pages**