Posted on: 18 Jul 2021
Chapter-1 Chapter-2 Chapter-3 Chapter-4
Anuyogajñānam (The Knowledge of Questions)
[December 15, 2019] [Following text is the translation of the Sanskrit verses of this book.]
1) Whatever is said by God Datta (Dattātreya) after merging with His devotee, called Venugopala Krishna Murthy, later on called as Datta Swami, is directly given here.
2) This is called as the Datta Vedānta or the Datta Yoga or the Dattamatam, which is the comprehensive spiritual knowledge of God Datta.
3) This book, called as the Datta Vedānta, is divided in to three portions called Brahma Parva (dealing with God), Jīva Parva (dealing with soul) and Yoga Parva (dealing with the union of soul with God). These three together are called as Tripuṭī (Triad), the three parts of knowledge, which are Jñeyam, to be known; Jñātā, the knower and Jñānam, the connection between these two.
4) The various questions in the beginning of this book are:- What is Brahman? What is Parabrahman? Who is Īśvara (Lord) to be known with authority? What is Ātman (soul)? Who is Jīva (individual soul)? What is Avatāra (incarnation) taken as various types? What is the relationship between soul and God?
5) Is soul God? Is soul a part of God? Is soul different from God? What is the truth among these three theories? Is world true or false? Is world different from truth and false?
6) Where does the soul go after death for enjoying the fruits of its actions? Where does the soul enjoy the fruits? Is it this world or the upper world or both?
7) To attain the grace of God, what is the way? Is it knowledge or devotion or practice? What is meant by salvation? What is meant by the greatest achievement?
8) What is meant by sacrifice? What is the fire told in the sacrifice? What is meant by the Havis (ghee) offered? Who is the offering person (Hotā)? What is the Havanīya (the object fire to which the offering is done)? Who is the fire called as Vaiśvānara?
9) Who is the deity called Gāyatrī to be worshipped? What is meant by the ritual called Upanayanam? How the caste system is created? Is it by birth or by qualities?
10) Is the difference created by gender valid? How to get relief from grief? What is Pravṛtti and what is Nivṛtti? Is there relationship between these two?
11) What is meant by detachment? Is the traditional way of doing rituals acceptable as the path to attain God? What is meant by Yoga? What is meant by Dharma, which is treated as the highest by scholars?
12) Does Vedādhayana mean blind recitation of the scripture without knowing its meaning? Does the sound itself has the miraculous power and awareness? What is the primary aim of the ritual to be done?
13) What is the importance of charity and how to recognize the deservingness of the receiver of the charity? Is there a necessity to do the annual death ceremony of the departed soul every year?
14) What is sin, what is merit and how do you correlate these two with the three qualities (Sattvam, Rajas and Tamas)? What is the importance of the miracles? What is the process of creation of this world by God? Is the process a real modification or apparent modification of God or is it the birth of non-born item (Ajātivāda)?
15)How can the scholars answer the atheists? How to bring the atheists to the path of theism like turning the stupid children to normal path?
16) How to correlate the various sub-religions in Hinduism? How to correlate various religions in the world? When these are achieved, then only God Datta is established as the Universal Spiritual Preacher.
17) How to relieve the sinners from miseries, who are entangled by serious punishments of various horrible sins? Can they be relieved by meritorious deeds done or by the devotion to God?
18) What is Māyā (super illusion)? What is Avidyā (illusion of soul)? What are the four bodies of the soul? What is meant by Ajñānam (ignorance)? What is meant by Vijñānam (scientific analysis)? What is meant by Prajñānam (spiritual knowledge)?
19) Is the rebirth of soul inevitable? Is there possibility of escaping the rebirth? Learned scholars say that escape from rebirth is the real salvation.
20) Like this, several similar questions are answered briefly and such answers constitute the philosophy of God Datta, which is explained well in this book.
Iti Datta Vedānte Brahma Parvaṇi Anuyogajñānaṃ Nāma Prathamādhyāyaḥ ।।
The first chapter of Brahma Parva of Datta Vedanta, which is the Knowledge of Questions, is completed.