Dr. Satya Pal Arya was born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. After the partition, his family moved to Himachal Pradesh, India. He finished his medical school education at All India Institute of Medical Sciences at New Delhi, India. He migrated to the United States in 1970. He finished his post graduate training in the specialty of Ears, Nose, Throat, Head and Neck surgery at Case Reserve University at Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently in Private Practice of E.N.T. Surgery in California.
During his childhood, he was exposed to Vedic Philosophy due mostly, to the influence of his uncle, Prof. Ram Prashad Vedalankar, who was teaching Vedas at Gurukul Kangri at Haridwar (India). Prof. Ram Prashad Vedalankar was a true Karma Yogi and had a level of character and integrity rarely seen. He was also deeply influenced by the writings of Swami Daya Nanda, Founder of Arya Samaj. He has extensively studied most of the Vedic scriptures. This book represents a brief synthesis of his life time of studying the Scriptures.
There is a deep yearning in our hearts to achieve a state of mind where we are at peace with ourselves and are not constantly buffeted by contradictory emotional storms and desires that rage in our minds. Is it a pipe dream? Can such a state of mind be achieved?
One point of view is that this is how life is, consisting of ups and downs, pleasures and sorrows and duality. This state of calm and peaceful mind is an illusion.
Throughout the human history, many religious and spiritual scholars have stated categorically that not only this mental state is possible, but it should be the noblest goal of every one’s life. Since this book is based on Vedic and ancient Aryan scriptures, I will try to answer from that tradition.
There is a famous verse in Rigveda which state,” I know about an Exalted Conscious Being who is all knowing and untouched by any kind of limitations or ignorance. Only by knowing or realizing Him, we can cross the sea of misery, suffering and even conquer death. I don’t know of any other way.”
The Rishi in Shvetashvater Upnishada says,” The day when we can roll the space into a sleeping mat and be able to rest on it, that day we can conquer death and suffering without knowing God.” Just as it is impossible to roll the space into a mat, it will not be possible to transcend human suffering without Self Realization.
These are very unambiguous statements. We are left asking whether God exists. What is He like? Where does He live? Is it possible to know Him? How can we know Him? Who am I? What is the purpose of Life? What is my place in the scheme of things?
The scriptures in every religion have tried to answer these fundamental questions in different ways for thousands of years. In this book, I am writing the belief system illustrated in ancient scriptures of four Vedas, eleven Upanishads, six schools of Philosophy, Yoga Shastra written by Sage Patanjali, Manusmriti, Bhagvad Geeta and many other spiritual books in the Vedic tradition. I hope this effort gives my readers better understanding of ancient Vedic Philosophy and guides them in search of divine life.
