The Role of the Veda
The four Vedas, Rg,Yajur,Sama, and Atharva, are each divided into two sections. Both sections are a means of knowledge for things which one cannot come to know by one's inherent means of knowledge - the five senses supported by the mind. The first section deals with dharma, religious ethics; karma, religious actions, various rituals; artha, other special actions to achieve security; and kama pleasures. This section, called the karma-kanda, the "action-section", is very bulky, understandably so because it deals with human desires and the actions needed to fulfil the desires.
The last section of the Veda is called jnana-kanda, the "knowledge-section". Its subject matter is a single desire moksa, the desire for liberation. The fulfillment of that desire is not through actions, which are many, but through knowledge, which is singular with regard to the particular thing to be known.
Both sections of the Veda are sources of knowledge about things for which one has no other means of knowledge. But the role of the knowledge in each section is different. In the first section there is knowledge about a variety of actions which are to be done to gain a variety of unrealized ends. The second section contains knowledge about a single, already-achieved but unrecognized end which is gained through the knowledge itself: gain of the knowledge is the gain of the end.
The karma-kanda is the source of the special religious actions - rituals, prayers, meditations needed for gaining of security and pleasure in this world and hereafter. It is also the section where religious ethics are detailed. Religious ethics codify commonsense ethics, based on the way one wants to be treated by others, and add something more. The "something more" which is added is the idea of punya and papa, merit and demerit, which accrue to the performer of actions.
Punya, merit, is the subtle result of a good action. Papa, demerit, is the subtle result of a bad action. Commonsense ethics as codified in the rules of dharma and adharma (opposite of dharma) give the standards for determining whether an action is "good" or "bad". The subtle result of a good action is punya, the occurrence of an enjoyable, pleasant experience at some later time. The subtle result of a bad action is papa, an uncomfortable or painful experience at a later time. If one refuses to be sad, all papa, can do is give some physical pain. If you accept discomfort, the papa, can do nothing to you. You cannot be touched by an external situation which is the negative result of past actions if you are insulated against any kind of reaction to it. maturity of thinking gives that insulation. Generally, man is not so insulated. He wants to be comfortable in all ways; therefore, papa, the uncomfortable subtle result of an adharmic action, is to be avoided. Punya, the pleasant, comfortable result of a dharmic action is to be sought. The pleasurable rewards of punya are often reserved for heaven.
In addition to the gain of heaven, the karmakanda contains an account of many other ends which can be gained through various religious actions. Certain rituals are performed to produce desired results. There are two categories of rituals for the purpose of obtaining results: (1) those that will produce results right away; and (2) others that will produce results later. Both type of rituals are called karma. Because there are rituals prescribed which will produce results immediately, here, in this life itself, there is a way to test whether or not these Vedic karma work: perform the ritual and see what happens.
So the first section of the Veda contains the knowledge of how to do a variety of actions which can produce given results now or later. This scritual "how to" knowledge is a knowledge not found elsewhere. The knowledge itself does not produce the desired result, but tells us how to do the actions that will produce the results. the mere knowledge of action is not an end in itself. Anything to be achieved in time depends upon effort. Knowledge of the special efforts that achieve a chosen end is necessary to gain that end; but that knowledge is not the end itself. Knowledge does not gain the end. Action gains the end. Knowledge tells what actions to perform.
Thus the knowledge found in the karmakanda section of the Veda is not an end in itself. This knowledge reveals which action needs to be done to gain the desired end. this is true of dharma as well. The knowledge of the many religious ethical values, dharma, found in the first section of the Veda, is not an end in itself. A life of dharma is followed in accordance with the rules set forth to avoid pain. No one likes duhkha, sorrow, pain; everyone wants sukha, happy experiences. therefore the "do's and don'ts" set forth in the first section of the Veda are important to all those who seek to extract more sukha than duhkha from a life centered on action. but mere knowledge, of all the "do's and don'ts' does not result in the gain of sukha-producing punya, or the avoidance of duhkha-producing papa. The knowledge of the ethics called dharma must be put into practice through action in order to earn a favorable or unfavorable subtle result. All dharma (the ethical mandates) are meant for karma, action. Mere knowledge of ethics is not going to help. Knowledge of truthfulness does not make one truthful. Ethics must be expressed in action.
On the other hand, if what is desired to be achieved is already an accomplished but unrecognized fact, then knowledge is an end in itself. This is the kind of knowledge that is the subject matter of jnana-kanda, the second section of the Veda, called Vedanta. This section deals with the adequate, limitless self that everyone wants to be. If the adequate, limitless self is my nature, unrecognized by me, then knowledge of that fact makes me the gainer of what I seek. Knowledge and the end are identical when what one wants to gain is already a gained fact.
-Swami Dayananda Saraswati
Excerpted from "Introduction to Vedanta - Understanding the Fundamental Problem"
by Swami Dayananda
Published: 09/01/98