Vedic Views

What is the purpose of life? In this world of illusion, a number of views are prevalent about the purpose of life and human birth, says Vedic exponent Prem Sabhlok.

To know the purpose of life, an effort was made to study the Rig Veda, which was accorded the status of world Heritage by UNESCO during 2007. According to (RV1-24-1, 4-33-11, 61-79-1), the purpose of human birth is to assist God or Vishwakarma (the Supreme Designer) in the maintenance of social, moral and physical order. The entire mankind becomes a divine bureaucracy of God to ensure the implementation and maintenance of His wondrous design. The Cosmic laws of Nature (Rta) are formidable and despotic in their operation. Even God Himself, having created them, obeys these laws sternly. Truthful search of these laws and obeying Rta is the greatest service to God.

Thus the Purpose of life is to fulfil the divine mission of God and Prakrti (Divine Nature) by resorting to welfare activities for the entire mankind (Vishwa Kutumbkam- the Global Family) and all animate and inanimate life. It only proves that selfless social work on the path of Rta is the only divine work.

Those human beings who understand the purpose of human birth and follow the Vedic Rta, can become Paramjot or carriers of the Divine Light (Divine Vedic knowledge) and they can realize God in one birth. Vedas and Upanishads tell us that if human beings are born in the image of God and if they do not realize God in one birth, they are the losers. Incidentally the image of God mentioned in the context of God is Parmatma- the Supreme Soul — and only human beings have got Atma- our Real Self or the omniscient principle Soul. Animals, birds and fishes, etc., do not have the omniscient principle but have ‘energy principle’ i.e. Spirit. Thus Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic Gunas only affect the manifested soul (jivatma) of human beings and not the spirit of animals.

The Vedas tell us that when the jivatma (manifested soul) is surrounded by the predominance of subtle Tamasic gunas of impurity and stupor, the Vedic knowledge contained in the human soul is affected by the vehement effect of Maya, which creates a Golden Lid to hide the noble and divine knowledge and creates an illusion of comfort in the this vast turbulent sea of matter.

By following Vedic Rta, effect of Maya starts disappearing and purpose of human birth becomes clear to mankind.

Prem Kumar Sabhlok, born in July 1932, joined the Indian Defence Accounts Service in 1959 and retired as the Additional Controller General of Defence Accounts, India. He studied Vedas for a few years and wrote the Book ‘Glimpses of Vedic Metaphysics’. He has delivered talks on The Vedas in USA, Hong Kong, Chennai, Pune and many other places. He lives in Palam Vihar, Gurgaon.