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From what I have read so far, I have found that according to Hinduism, everything is transitory and keeps changing. Even Brahmas change and so do Indras. Even Vedas and Puranas change. The very fact that Life is a Sport for GOD and we have to imagine it to be a theatre where GOD has created both villains and heros and everything can change anytime, makes me feel that there is no one solid truth or only path that we can follow?

How does one follow anything then?

user3750229
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First, the Vedas do not change. The Vedas are the eternal truths about God. They are the revealed word of God and are not subject to change.

In Hinduism you have to be more exact when talking about God. The English word God has different connotations in Hinduism which are very different from those in the West. In the West, the term usually refers to a dualistic personal Godhead who sits on a throne in heaven and is the creator. In Hinduism, there are different concepts of the Godhead, some personal, some impersonal.

Most Hindus do agree on four major points, however. First, they all believe in God. Second, they all believe that the Vedas are the eternal revealed words of God. Third, they all believe in cycles - the universe does not just happen once, there were unnumbered universes before this one and there will be unnumbered ones after this one. Fourth, they believe in the reincarnation of the soul until it finally achieves either union with Brahman or the eternal presence of the soul with the Godhead.

The Rig Veda says that "Truth is One, men call it by various names" - there is no 'one' path for everyone. As a mother will prepare different food to suit the stomachs of her different children, so the Lord has prepared different paths for people to follow. One should look into the different ways to approach God and decide which one suits your taste the best. Find a teacher. Once you decide, follow it with all your heart. For every step you take towards God, God will take 10 steps toward you.

Swami Vishwananda
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  • In this forum itself, I saw somebody talking about Vedas changing every now and then. Also Puranas are complicated. Multiple Puranas talk about different stories related to the same person. – user3750229 Jun 03 '15 at 04:53
  • @user3750229 Where did they say that? – Keshav Srinivasan Jun 03 '15 at 05:20
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    No. They are eternal and do not change. See Brahma Sutras 1.3.27-28. Also Mundakya I. i. 1-6. – Swami Vishwananda Jun 03 '15 at 10:48
  • So are you saying that Vedas are constant between different Kalpas even if the Brahmas change? – user3750229 Jun 08 '15 at 02:13
  • Yes. Scripture says so, see the scriptural references I gave in my comment above. They say exactly that. "The several names, actions, and conditions of all things he shaped in the beginning from the words of the Vedas." Laws of Manu I. 21. – Swami Vishwananda Jun 08 '15 at 10:56
  • But the Manu changes. So does the Laws of Manu's right? Also, if Brahma changes, he creates a new set of four children from his brains and therefore these 4 children which are Vedas also change right? – user3750229 Jun 09 '15 at 04:52
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    Nooo. Every new Brahma knows how to 'do' the creation because he has the Vedas for guidance. The Vedas are given to Brahma by Brahman. The Laws of Manu are Smriti not Sruti. Smriti can change from age to age, Sruti does not change. The Upanishads, the Vedas, are Sruti, not subject to change, eternal. If you want some links to the Mundakya Upanishad or the Brahma Sutras, let me know. – Swami Vishwananda Jun 09 '15 at 05:01
  • if its a new brahma and vedas are created from the 4 heads of brahma.. everytime brahma changes , wouldn't vedas change too? – user3750229 Nov 29 '15 at 04:48
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No there is a slight change in truth from what you mentioned above. Yes, everything is transitory,except Truth. This is the statement of not just Hindus but Buddhism, jainism etc. (Refer book "Tibetan boom of Living and dying" for more details)

If everything is transitory and changes with time, then what is that (truth as refferred above) which doesn't change with time? That is atman alone. Refer here
Hence all paths whatever temporary it may be, leads you to that Atman
Lets take an example of Sankhya Philosophy. It is a purely dualist philosophy and hardly anyone follows that philosophy to attain moksha(that atman) now. But for a long time around 1000 years BC, people were following that philosophy to reach ultimate goal. Time has made that philosophy invalid but not Ultimate goal.

Hence what we follow now, is true for now. But Ultimate goal was always true, is always true and will be, but the path may change. Hence puranas change, brahmas change, indras change but not end result. Hence changing with time is also important which is why Hinduism(also its sister religions like Buddhism, Jainism etc.) always adapts.

abhishek
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    Sandhi and accent had interfered and the Rig Veda we have is not the original. It is westerners who restored the meter and filled in gaps. Still many Vedic words are obscure to us. Something called hiatus (two vowels coming together) in Rig Veda is due to lost sounds that can be predicted from other Indo European languages. – S K Apr 03 '18 at 20:20
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Hinduism as 2 categories of knowledge

  1. Shruti -- that doesn't change and eternal (Vedas, Aagamas, upanishads)
  2. Smriti -- one that changes including modern science (the greatest smriti)

Enlightened Gurus who have reached the "Rishi" state "download" them and pass on. Based on this revealed knowledge they interpret and create Smriti for that context (time and space)

Purpose of Hindu Gurus is to define and re-interpret the knowledge for the current context for the humanity to get a consciousness breakthrough

You can read more about Shruti and Smriti here: https://www.speakingtree.in/blog/vedic-framework-and-modern-science

Akhil
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