Jan Thomas November 10, 2005

The Spirit of Vedanta: Hinduism Quotes

Most humbly we bow to You, O Supreme Lord. At Your command moves the mighty wheel of time. You are eternal, and beyond eternity. (Artharva Veda) -------------The one who loves all intensely begins perceiving in all living beings a part of himself He becomes a lover of all, a part and parcel of the Universal Joy. He flows with the stream of happiness, and is enriched by each soul. (Yajur Veda) -------------The human body is the temple of God. One who kindles the light of awareness within gets true light. The sacred flame of your inner shrine is constantly bright The experience of unity is the fulfillment of human endeavors. The mysteries of life are revealed. (Rig Veda) -------------Sing the song of celestial love, O singer! May the divine fountain of eternal grace and joy enter your soul. May Brahma, (the Divine One), Pluck the strings of your inner soul with His celestial fingers, And feel His own presence within. Bless us with a divine voice That we may tune the harp-strings of our life To sing songs of Love to you. (Rig Veda) -------------Of everything he is the inmost Self. He is the truth; he is the Self supreme. (Chandogya Upanishad) --------------

Meditating on the lotus of your heart, in the center is the untainted; the exquisitely pure, clear, and sorrowless; the inconceivable; the unmanifest, of infinite form; blissful, tranquil, immortal; the womb of Brahma. (Kaivalyopanishad) -------------Those in whose hearts OM reverberates Unceasingly are indeed blessed And deeply loved as one who is the Self. The all-knowing Self was never born, Nor will it die. Beyond cause and effect, This Self is eternal and immutable. When the body dies, the Self does not die. (Katha Upanishad) -------------The whole mantram AUM Indivisible, interdependent, Goes on reverberating in the mind Established in this cosmic vibration, The sage goes beyond fear, decay, and death To enter into infinite peace. (Prashna Upanishad) -------------O Almighty! You are the infinite; the universe is also infinite! From infinite the infinite has come out! Having taken infinite out of the infinite, the infinite remains! O Almighty! May there be Peace! Peace! Everywhere! (Ishawashya Upanishad) -------------Meditating on the lotus of your heart, in the center is the untainted; the exquisitely pure, clear, and sorrowless; the inconceivable; the unmanifest, of infinite form; blissful, tranquil, immortal; the womb of Brahma. (Kaivalyopanishad)

-------------O seeker, know the true nature of your soul, and identify yourself with it completely. O Lord, (may we attain) the everlasting consciousness of Supreme Light and Joy. May we resolve to dedicate our life to the service of humankind, And uplift them to Divinity. (Yajur Veda) -------------O Brahma, lead us from the unreal to the real. O Brahma, lead us from darkness to light. O Brahma, lead us from death to immortality Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Om. (Brhadaranyaka Upanishad) -------------Look to this day, for it is life, the very breath of life. In its brief course lie all the realities of your existence; the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty. For yesterday is only a dream, and tomorrow is but a vision. But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day. (Ancient Sanskrit) -------------The highest Self, all endless bliss, the unconditioned limitless consciousness, being realized, whether through the great texts, or through Yoga, in all experience whateverlet one lose himself in the ecstasy of Realization, for he has forever lost all touch with bondage of every description. (Svarajyasiddhi) -------------This ritual is One. This food is One. We who offer the food are One. The fire of hunger is One. All action is One. We who understand this are One. (Ancient Hindu Blessing) -------------A particle of Its bliss supplies the bliss of the whole universe. Everything becomes enlightened in Its light. All else appears worthless after a sight of that essence. I am indeed of this Supreme Eternal Self. (Vijnanananka) --------------

The knower catches in the ecstasy of his heart the full light of that Brahman (that Divine Essence) which is indescribableall pure bliss, incomparable, transcending time, ever free, beyond desire. (Vivekachudamani) ------------"Bright but hidden, the Self dwells in the heart. Everything that moves, breathes, opens, and closes Lives in the Self. He is the source of love And may be known through love but not through thought He is the goal of life. Attain this goal!" (Mundaka Upanishad) ----------All is change in the world of the senses, But changeless is the supreme Lord of Love. Meditate on him, be absorbed by him, Wake up from this dream of separateness. (Shvetashvatara Upanishad)
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O mysterious and incomprehensible Spirit! In the depths of my heart, there is only YouYou, for all time. (source unknown)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Partial List of Sources

Kerry Brown, ed. The Essential Teachings of Hinduism: Daily Readings from the Sacred Texts. London, Arrow Books Ltd., 1990. (Originally published by Rider, 1988) Yogi Ramacharaka, The Spirit of the Upanishads. Chicago, The Yogi Publication Society, 1907. Pandit Satyakam Vidyalankar, The Holy Vedas: A Golden Treasury. Delhi, India, Clarion Books, 1983.