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the six schools of philosophy. Each school tried to find its authority
in the Upanishads and the divine scriptures supplied texts enough for
all the schools. Every school found a part of the truth but not the
whole truth. Yet each school regarded its own part as the whole.
So they quarrelled. The Mimansakas said that the performance of
Vedic sacrifices was all in all. It had the sanction of time-honored
texts and of the most ancient Rishis. And Jaimini supplied the
reasoning by which the practice could be supported. The Sankhyas
said that the chief duty of a man was to discriminate between the
transformable and the non-transformable element in him, and when
that was done, nothing more was needed. The followers of Patanjali
said that mere discrimination was not sufficient, but a continued
practice was required. The Vaiseshikas studied the attributes and
properties of all objects and sought by differentiation to know the
truths. There were others who worshipped the Bhutas, Pretas and
Pisachas, so that they might easily acquire powers. Others wor-
shipped the dwellers of Svarga Loka. Some worshipped Isvara.
But mostly the worship of Siva was prevalent. Gifts and charities
also were not unknown, in fact they were very extensive in some ,
instances. But generally the object of all religious observances was
self-seeking more or less.
Amidst this diversity of religious ideas and religious obser-
vances, seemingly so contradictory, Sri Krishna, the greatest of all
Avataras, appeared and He brought the message of peace and recon-
ciliation. He laid great stress on the fact that the performance of
Vedic.sacrifices could lead us only to Svarga Loka, but when our
merits were exhausted, we were bound to be born again on Bhur Loka,
our Earth. While on Earth, we form fresh Karma, which gives
rise to other births. The performance of Vedic Karma does not
therefore free us from the bondage of births, for, as the Lord said,
there is object-seeking in these performances. Object-seeking for one's
own self does not find a place in the higher Lokas. Its highest limit
is Svarga Loka. So long as man remains self-seeking, he can not
transcend the limits of Triloki. In the higher Lokas, there is no
recurrence of births and re-births. Once you are translated to Mahar
Loka, you live for the whole of the remaining period of the Kalpa,
passing through a gradual evolution to the higher Lokas. And if you
form a devotional tie with the Lord of many Brahmandas, the First
Purusha, even the Kalpic period does not restrict your existence.
Liberation is a relative term. It may be from the bondage of births
and re-births in Triloki. It may be liberation from the bondage of
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