Hi. Welcome to my blog on the Rig Veda. The sheer vastness of Rig Veda is pretty astounding and I have tried my best to gather but a glimpse of what I could, compiling from various sources.
Preface
As humanity's oldest book, the Rigveda remains one of the most mysterious. It requires much more research to uncover its wisdom and its power, which means an honouring of the ancient Rishis through whom it was expressed.
Many researchers from the West have deeply explored the Rig Veda during the last few centuries for its mystic content. Dr. David Frawley is one of them and following are his views:
"Most significant is the fact that the
Rigveda is still chanted today and has been continually since its compilation
thousands of years ago. This claim cannot be made for any other book in the
world. The Rigveda is a mantric text, meaning it is poetic, symbolic and
imagistic and has several levels of meaning, not easy to grasp by the outward
looking modern intellect.
The Sun is the visible face of the Divinity,
the Atman or the inner Self of the entire universe. Agni is not just a material
fire but is the very light of consciousness within us. Soma is not just a plant
but the Divine Bliss or Ananda. Vayu is not just the wind but the comic energy
in all its forms. The Vedic ritual or yajna is not just an outer fire ritual
but inner offering of speech, prana and mind into the Divine flame within
us".
This ancient tradition has a living presence in our daily lives today,
even after thousands of years. Vedas are not ritualistic, as normally
misconceived. Over a period of time, there had been a regular degeneration
through isolation of rituals from the true philosophical and spiritual intent,
more so because of the fact that the Vedic traditions were written in Sanskrit
language, which is not in common use today and hence its true meaning and
spirit are not understood by many.
No religion in the world is free of rituals and prayers, but differ
only in the degree. Vedic religion involves deeper psychology involving
convergence of noble thoughts, words and actions and is connected deeply with
our consciousness. The common man is therefore guided by powerful faith, fear,
guilt and self-restraint for moral desires and tries to regulate his life
accordingly. This is believed to be one of the main reason for survival of this
Vedic tradition with its phenomenal hold on the minds of millions of people
over thousands of years, despite centuries of foreign invasions.
Veda Vyasa (compiler of the Veda) was the sage who collected and compiled these hymns in the form of Vedas including the Rig Veda, as we know it today. It is believed that as much as 329 males and 27 females (Rishikas) contributed towards the Rig Veda.
Sri Aurobindo calls this as the luminous dawns of the forefathers to their descendants. Thus these rituals, yagnas and sacrifices found a wide spread acceptance, as it effectively served their psychological needs on a day to day basis.
The present attempt in this blog is to highlight the sheer size, vastness of range of Vedic verses and the depth of thoughts and experiences of the ancient Vedic seers.
An overview of Rig Veda
The Rig Veda is an amalgamation of
four major components, namely:
Samhitas (hymns, poetry, mantras)
Brahmanas (commentaries, proceedures)
Aranyakas (solitary high level thoughts)
Upanishads (addendums, religious conversations)
The minor
components are:
Upavedas
Vedangas and
Darsanas
The Samhitas are divided as Mandalas,
Sukthas and Mantras (Riks), and contain the main texts involving the hymns to
the deities and constitute the oldest section of the Rig Veda.
The Brahmanas are the section
pertaining to the commentaries for the hymns. This section is particularly
referred to as the Rigveda Brahmana while the popular reference to Rig Veda, in
general, is to the Samhitas.
The Aryankas are also known as the
forest books and the Upanishads include other verses of religious text.
We will now go through each one of
them and understand it better.
Rig Veda Samhitas (Hymns)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yrmbDvUan0
Basically there
are two broad methods of classifying the Rig Veda Samhitas, namely the Ashtaka
method and the Mandala method. While Ashtaka method follows equal division of
mantras for ease of memorising, the Mandala method classifies the Hymns
according to the subject.
The Rigveda is
divided into ten books which are known as Mandalas. It is a collection of
10,600 mantras (Riks) in 1,028 hymns or Sukthas. The following chart explains the
division of Mandalas, number of Suktas in each Mandala and name of Rishis of
some Mandalas.
|
Mandala |
Suktas |
Mantras |
Name Of Rishis |
|
191 |
2006 |
Maducchanda, Medhatithi, Gotama and many others |
|
|
02 |
43 |
429 |
Gritasamada and his family |
|
03 |
62 |
617 |
Vishvamitra and his family |
|
04 |
58 |
589 |
Vamadeva and his family |
|
05 |
87 |
727 |
Atri and his family |
|
06 |
75 |
765 |
Bhardvaja and his family |
|
07 |
104 |
841 |
Vashistha and his family |
|
08 |
103 |
1716 |
Kanva, Angira and their family |
|
09 |
114 |
1108 |
Soma Devata, but different Rishis |
|
10 |
191 |
1754 |
Vimada, Indra, Shachi And many other |
(REF: VEDIC
HERITAGE - http://vedicheritage.gov.in/samhitas/rigveda/)
Following is the full recitation of rig veda Samhita:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCQCSN38KYY
The hymns were created at various times by various Rishis and were compiled by Ved Vyas into a text form as per the above serially numbered mandalas. Some of the big names of the Vedic period, who 'saw' and 'heard' these hymns were Gritsamada, Viswamitra (friend of all), Vashista (most excellent), Vamadeva, Bharatwaja (bearing strength), Atri, Madhuchchhandas (son of Viswamitra), Dhirgatamas (capable of seeing deep into darkness).
The meaning of most words in it are not known clearly since all Rig Vedic mantras are written symbolically. Therefore, to understand a Sukta in Rig Veda, we must follow the symbols. The hymns are embodiment of the Rishis themselves and in order to understand it, one needs to enter the soul of the Rishis and their faculty of knowledge and not by metaphysical reasoning. Only then we will truly understand what they 'saw', experienced and what the mystic poets put into words through supreme spiritual realisation.
In Sri Aurobindo's words "Their aim was illumination not logical conviction, their ideal the inspired seer, not the accurate reasoner....No interpretation of the Veda can be sound which does not rest on a sound and secure philological basis; and yet this scripture with its obscure and antique tongue, of which it is the sole remaining document, offers unique philological difficulties." (Philology, as you may know, is the study of literary texts and of written records to establish the authenticity and their original form and meaning). According to Sri Aurobindo, philology plays an important role in understanding the meaning of words, especially since each Sanskrit word has several meanings.
To give an example, Vedic Sanskrit word 'dhenu' meant a cow (Kamadhenu), whereas the later Sanskritists used it for Nourisher or fosterer. Similarly, 'vrika' meant wolf in vedic period, whereas later it meant tearer. It is in a similar manner that we should understand the real meaning of the words used in Vedas such as 'gritam' (is it really clarified butter?), 'Soma' (is it sacred wine or Ananda?) etc.
For the fully initiated yogic minds of the Rishis, Soma could mean 'Ananda' or exhilaration. Agni could mean bright, brilliance etc which are features of Godliness. The same God is given different names based on the different features being highlighted. For example, 'Mitra' denotes the friendliness, 'Bhaga' denotes enjoyment, 'Surya' represents illumination, 'Varuna' its vastness. In other words, the Rishis have tried to bring out the single Truth in different ways.
Such mystic experiences are difficult for ordinary mankind to achieve and we can only accept their sayings with awe and reverence. Many scholars like Sri Aurobindo have dealt with this to take a firm view on what the Rishis had actually meant in the hymns, to identify the Vedic symbols and to bring forth the spiritual or psychological intentions in the Vedas, rather than sticking on to or stopping with the ritual interpretations.
In the Veda there are no merely ornamental epithets. Every word is meant to tell us something, to add something to the sense and bear a strict relation to the thought of the sentence in which it occurs.
The whole of Rig Veda is practically a constant variation on the double theme, the preparation of the human being in mind and body and the fulfilment of the godhead or immortality in him by his attainment and development of the Truth and the Beatitude.
The main deities mentioned in Rig Veda are Indra the Lord of thunder, Mitra, Varuna the Lord of the seas, Agni, Soma, Maruta, Visvedeva, Aditi, Aaditya (Surya), Bhaga, Pusha, Rudra the God of storms and mountains. Lord Vishnu who is one of the Trimurti of Hindu Gods was also a deity, as mentioned in the Rig Veda.
Though there are several deities mentioned in Rig Veda, it is clearly mentioned in many places that they are all but different aspects of the One and only, Supreme Being.
Many verses of the Rig Veda are still used as very significant Hindu prayers and during rituals, such as the Gayatri Mantra of Rishi Visvamitra (3.62.10). Among 1028 Suktas of the Rigveda Samhita some mantras are very popular and frequently referred by the readers of Vedas:
- Purusha Suktam (10.90)
- Hiranya-garbha Suktam (10.121)
- Aksha Suktam
- Nasadiya Suktam
- Vak Suktam and Saraswathi Suktam
- Bhoo Suktam
- Sri Suktam
- Maha Mrityunjaya mantra on Lord Shiva by Rishi Vasishta
- Gayatri Mantra
Besides, there are Suktas dedicated to
different deities, such as, Indra, Maruta, Varuna, Usha, Surya, Bhumi, Soma,
Agni etc. These were used
for ritualistic purposes in marriages and other religious ceremonies. There are
other interesting iterations of the Suktas which were purposed to drive away
illness and other forms of negativity from one‘s life.
The Veda also speaks
about issues of morality and the right societal behaviour. It tackles important
issues of the time like gambling and the right measures for good governance. It
served both as a religious source as well as a moral guide in the Vedic and
post Vedic times. Many hymns are in praise of various deities, asking of
benefits. Some of the most accessible material is not hymns to
deities at all, but conversations between the gods.
A brief look at the contents of the ten mandalas of rig veda would enable to quench the curiousity of the readers as to what really are the words heard and seen by the Seers in ancient times.
- Mandala 1 comprises
of 191 hymns. Hymn 1.1 is addressed to Agni, and his name is the first
word of the Rigveda.
The remaining hymns are mainly addressed to Agni and Indra, as well as
Varuna, Mitra, the Ashvins, the Maruts, Usas, Surya, Rbhus, Rudra, Vayu,
Brhaspati, Visnu, Heaven and Earth, and all the Gods.
- Mandala 2 comprises
of 43 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra. It is chiefly attributed to the
Rishi Gṛtsamada
śaunahotra.
- Mandala 3 comprises of 62 hymns,
mainly to Agni and Indra and the Vishvedevas. The verse 3.62.10 has great
importance in Hinduism as the Gayatri Mantra. Most
hymns in this mandala are attributed to Rishi
Viśvāmitra gāthinaḥ.
- Mandala 4 comprises of 58 hymns,
mainly to Agni and Indra as well as the Rbhus, Ashvins, Brhaspati, Vayu,
Usas, etc. Most hymns in this mandala are attributed to Rishi Vāmadeva gautama.
- Mandala 5 comprises of 87 hymns,
mainly to Agni and Indra, the Viswadevas ("all the gods'), the
Marutus, the twin-deity Mitra- Varuna and the Asvins. Two hymns each are
dedicated to Ushas(the dawn) and to Satvir. Most hymns in this mandala are
attributed to the Atri Rishi’s clan.
- Mandala 6 comprises of 75 hymns,
mainly to Agni and Indra, all the gods, Pusan, Ashvin, Usas, etc. Most
hymns in this mandala are attributed to the bārhaspatya family of Angirasas Rishi.
- Mandala 7 comprises of 104 hymns,
to Agni, Indra, the Viswadevas, the Marutus, Mitra-Varuna, the Asvins,
Ushas, Indra-Varuna, Varuna, Vayu (the wind), two each to Saraswathi
(ancient river/goddess of learning) and Vishnu, and to others. Mrityunjaya mantra is found in the oldest Vedic literature, the Rig Veda (7.59.12). Most hymns
in this mandala are attributed to Vasiṣṭha Maitravaruṇi
Rishi.
- Mandala 8 comprises of 103 hymns to
various gods. Hymns 8.49 to 8.59 are perhaps by Rishi vālakhilya. Hymns 1-48 and
60-66 are attributed to the kāṇva Rishi’s clan,
the rest to other (Angirasa) poets.
- Mandala 9 comprises of 114 hymns, entirely devoted to Soma Pavamana, the cleansing of the sacred potion of the Vedic religion.
- Mandala 10 comprises of additional 191 hymns, mostly in later language, addressed to Agni, Indra and various other deities. It contains the Suktas in praise of rivers and is important for the reconstruction of the geography of the Vedic civilization and the Purusha Sukta which has great significance in Hindu social tradition. It also contains the Nasadiya Sukta (10.129), probably the most celebrated hymn in the Western world, which deals with creation aspects. The marriage hymns (10.85) and the death hymns (10.10-18) still are of great importance in the performance of the corresponding Grihya (house-hold) rituals.
There is also significant mention of the geographical beauty of the subcontinent in some Mandalas. The hymns pertain to the different seasons and talk about each of the significant rivers flowing through the Indus Valley. It is a very important source of evidence for the geographical structure of the subcontinent in the Vedic era.
There are several other purposes like cures to different diseases, knowledge of weapons and shields, mentions of the rains and other seasons, etc. that the Veda carries forward through the centuries.
The importance of religion and goodwill are the fundamental highlights
of the compilation. It has several mentions on the significance of worship,
sacrifices and religious rituals.
There
are multiple gods mentioned in the Rig Veda but with a subscript that it all
came out of One Purusha :
“They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman. To what is One, sages give many a title - they call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan.” — Rigveda 1.164.46.
Rigveda 'Brahmanas'
The Brahmanas lays down the various rites -
karma - to be performed and explains the procedure for the same. They interpret
the words of the mantras occurring in the Samhita, how they are to be understood
in the conduct of sacrifices. The Brahmanas constitute a guide for the conduct
of yajnas.
These are a secondary layer of Vedic texts embedded within Rig Veda, often explain and instruct Brahmins on the performance of Vedic
rituals, in which the related Samhitas are recited. In addition to
explaining the symbolism and meaning of the Samhitas, Brahmana literature also expounds
scientific knowledge of the Vedic Period, including observational astronomy and, particularly in relation to altar construction, geometry
etc.
The Brahmanas are particularly noted for their instructions on the proper performance of rituals, as well as explanations on the symbolic importance of sacred words and ritual actions. These instructions insist on exact pronunciation (accent), Chandas (meters), precise pitch, with coordinated movement of hands and fingers, to ensure perfect delivery. Verbal perfection makes a mantra infallible, while even one mistake makes it powerless. Scholars suggest that this orthological perfection preserved Vedas in an age when writing technology was not in vogue, and the voluminous collection of Vedic knowledge were taught to and memorized by dedicated students through Svādhyāya, then remembered and verbally transmitted from one generation to the next.
In the course of time it was realised that it was not possible for the ordinary man to understand the origin and meaning of the various hymns. The meaning of these hymns were, therefore, explained in the form of commentaries. These came to be popularly known as Brahmanas. The Brahmanas are therefore, massive prose texts which contain the meaning of the hymns, give precepts for their application, relate stories of their origin in connection with sacrificial rites and explain the secret meaning of the latter. They may very well be called liturgies.
The Brahmanas, besides explaining and commenting on the Vedic hymns, also contain life stories of certain persons referred in the Vedic texts. Though these Brahmanas were mainly composed with a view to show the right path to the priests, they also provide a glimpse of the social life during the period.
Most of the
Brahmanas are lost and only the following two are still in vogue in Rig Veda.
- Aitareya
Brahmana,
- Kaushitaki / Sankhayana Brahmana
Aitareya
Brahmana:
The first six panchikas of Aitareya Brahmana deal with Soma Sacrifice
(fire sacrifice ritual) and in the last two panchikas describe about
Rajyabhisheka.
It goes like this:
The sun does never set nor rise. When people think the sun is setting (it is not so). For, after having arrived at the end of the day, it makes itself produce two opposite effects, making night to what is below and day to what is on the other side...Having reached the end of the night, it makes itself produce two opposite effects, making day to what is below and night to what is on the other side. In fact, the sun never sets. Nor does it set for him who has such a knowledge. Such a one becomes united with the sun, assumes its form, and enters its place.-
Aitareya Brahmana is ascribed to the sage Mahidasa Aitareya estimated to have been recorded around 600-400 BCE. The legend about this Brahmana is that an ancient Rishi had among his many wives one who was called Itara. She had a son Mahidasa by name [i.e. Mahidasa Aitareya]. The Risih preferred the sons of his other wives to Mahidasa, and went even so far as to insult him once by placing all his other children in his lap to his exclusion. His mother, grieved at this ill-treatment of her son, prayed to her family deity, the Earth (Bhumi), who appeared in her celestial form in the midst of the assembly, placed him on a throne and gave him as a token of honour a boon which had the appearance of a Rig Veda Brahmana [i.e. the Aitareya].
Kaushitak Brahmana:
Kaushitaki Brahmana, is divided into thirty adhyayas and 226 Khandas. The first six chapters dealing with food sacrifice and the remaining to Soma sacrifice.
Rig Veda 'Aranyakas'
The word "Aranyaka" is derived from
"aranya". You must have heard of places like "Dandakaranya"
and "Vedaranya". "Aranya"means a "forest".
Neither in the Samhita nor in the Brahmana is one urged to go and live in a
forest. Vedic rites like sacrifices are to be performed by the householder (grihastha)
living in a village. But after his mind is rendered pure through such rites, he
goes to a forest as a recluse to engage himself in meditation. It is to qualify
for this stage of vanaprastha, to become inwardly pure and mellow, that Vedic
practices like forest sacrifices are to be followed.
The Aranyakas prepare one for one's stage in
life as an anchorite. They expound the concepts inherent in the mantras of the
Samhitas and the rites detailed in the Brahmanas. In other words, they explain
the hidden meaning of the Vedas, their metaphorical passages. Indeed, they
throw light on the esoteric message of our scripture. For the Aranyakas, more
important than the performance of sacrifices, creates awareness of their inner meaning and significance.
According to present-day scholars, the Aranyakas incorporate the metaphorical
passages representing the metaphysical inquires conducted by the inmates of
forest hermitages.
The Aranyakas were really speaking parts of
the Brahmanas and contain philosophical portions of the Brahmanas. They were
composed mainly for the jungle dwelling hermits. The Aranyakas therefore do not
lay much stress on rites, rituals and sacrifices, but merely contain the
philosophy and mysticism.
The Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, as its very name
suggests, is both an Aranyaka and an Upanishad, and it begins with a
philosophical explanation of the horse sacrifice.
The name of the Aranyakas connected with Rig Veda is Aitreya Aranyaka and Kausitaki Aranyaka.
'Upanishads'
The
word Upanishad has been
derived from the root “Upa ni shad” that means 'to sit down near someone'. It denotes a
student sitting under the feet of his guru to learn. Eventually the word began
to be used for the secret knowledge imparted by the guru to his selected
pupils. Today the word is used for the philosophical knowledge and
spiritual learning.
Upanishads are also called Vedanta (the
end of the Veda) firstly,
because they denote the last phase of the Vedic period and secondly, because
they reveal the final aim of the Veda. Our nation's motto "Satyameva
jayate" is taken from the Mundakopanishad.
Though there are more than 300 Upansidhads, there
are 108 recognised Upanishads classified according to the Vedas, and were composed by several learned
saints between 800 BC and 500 BC.
Like
Aranyakas, the Upanishads
also give less importance to ceremonies
and sacrifices. They discuss various theories on the creation of the Universe
and define the doctrine of Karma (action).
Brahman (God) and atman
(soul) are treated as identical. They
profess the goal of life to be-to attain moksha (salvation)
which is possible through meditation and self-control.
The Upanishads are described as philosophical
treatise. But it would be more appropriate to describe them as mystic writings.
They state the conclusions of the Rishis without providing any rational
justification for the same. However, they provide a vivid description of the
religious and spiritual thoughts of the Rishis.
The Upanishads are the chief source of Hindu
philosophy. They explain the relation of matter, soul and God. The Doctrine of
Karma, salvation and the methods of its attainment have also been spelt out in
details in the Upanishads. The Upanishads assert that there is only one
Creator, who is true, who is omnipresent and omniscient.
In fact the entire Vedic literature would be
lifeless without these Upanishads. The great German scholar Max Muller commented: “These philosophical treatises will always maintain a place in the
literature of the world, among the most outstanding productions of the human
mind in any age and in any country.”
Shaupenheir, another German scholar, has also
called the Upanishad philosophy as the most eminent science of spiritual
progress. Even from the historical point of view the Upanishads are of immense
value because they throw a flood of light on the social, religious and
spiritual life of those people.
There are about 10 Upanishads associated with Rig Veda - partly excerpted from the Aranyakas:
Bahvrca-brahmana-upanishad, Aitareya-upanishad, Samhita-upanishad, Kaushitaki-upanishad.
Upa-Vedas
Upa-Vedas are supplementary Vedas which deal with secular subjects, each
dealing with a particular branch.
- Ayurveda – It deals with health science. It
contains diagnosis and natural remedies for all known ailments. This is a
part of Rig Veda.
- Dhanurveda - It deals with science and
technology used in warfare. This is a part of Yajur Veda.
- Gandharva-veda - It deals with science of music.
Vedic music is one of the most sophisticated and complex in the world.
Meter and tones are linked to specific mood and times of the day in form
of ragas. This is part of Sama Veda.
- Artha-shastra - It deals with economics. This is
part of Atharva Veda.
- Natya-shastra - It deals with science of theatre.
- Sthapatyaveda - It deals with science of architecture.
Vedangas
There are six Vedangas
(limbs of Veda). They are:
- Shiksha – It explains the method of
pronouncing precisely the Sanskrit terminology.
- Kalpa – Knowledge of performing Yajnas.
- Vyakarana - Teachings regarding discipline of
Sanskrit terminology; category wise procedure to be followed for
understanding the meaning of Sanskrit terms; how to use the terms and its
detailed techniques etc.
- Nirukta - Dictionary of Vedic terms i.e. it
explains the specific terms carrying specific meaning with reasons.
- Chandas – The knowledge explaining the
category and difference in between the Vedic Verses (Chandas).
- Jyotisha – Status of planets and stars,
computation of their motion and results therefrom.
The Vedangas or supplementary science of the
Vedas were written mainly to serve as a guide to Vedic texts, rituals and
sacrifices. The Vedangas deal mainly with subjects viz. pronunciation, metre,
grammar, explanation of words, astronomy and ceremonies.
Of all these, Kalpa is considered close to
common man, as it deals with the domestic life and is therefore also known as
Grihya Sutra. It enumerates the duties to be performed by a man from the time
of his cradle to the time of his grave. It also contains ceremonies to be
performed at the time of the birth, marriage and death.
Darshanas
Similarly, there
are six schools of Indian philosophy known as Shad-Darshana. These are:
Nyaya,
Vaishesika,
Sankhya,
Yoga,
Purva and
Uttara Mimansas.
These are written in Sutra (aphorism) style, which are short, to the point and without doubts. They all propagate the virtues of life. The Nyaya Darshana was written by Gautama, Vaishesika Darshana by Kanada, Purvamimansa Darshana by Jaimini, Sankhya by Kapila, Yoga by Patanjali and the Uttaramimansa Darshana by Bhadarayana.
Creation Hymns in Rig Veda
Vedic Mantras are to be looked upon as a key to the secrets in the cosmos, to fully understand our own self. If many verses of the Rig Veda is still recited in many parts of India, even after several thousands of years, it is a testimony of the relevance of the Vedic statements in our modern society.
Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas and presents all existence, in both its micro-cosmic and macro-cosmic aspects, set in a framework of Consciousness, Time and Space, ranging from individual to the Infinite cosmos. It traces the evolution of 'OHM', the primeval sound of the Cosmos. Names, and descriptions of events and experiences are shared by men, stars, powers and divinities.
Indra and Vritra at once personify respectively, the power of Nature that brings Rain and the forces of the Cloud that holds it back; or represent respectively the hold of Light and Darkness on the Mind. Saraswathi is at once a goddess and also a mighty river, conferring the gifts of learning and wealth. Vasishta and Arundati are not only the great and his wife, but also a pair of stars in the sky, symbolizing marital harmony, and at which newlyweds are required to gaze, to obtain the blessing of the same marital felicity.
Time and distance are measured from the stars and scaled down to apply to men’s structures and activities. The sacrifices are events of interactive exchanges between men and gods who place the powers of Nature at the service of mankind. All these are clothed in the Rig Veda in language, often simple and direct but more often metaphoric or symbolic, that can be obscure to all, but for those, who know the nuances of the language or the ideas that it conveys.
There are a few hymns on the Creation in the Rig Veda as given by different Rishis. Rig Veda philosophically speculates on the origin of Cosmos and creation in a very grand manner, not contained in any other ancient scriptures in the world, often filled with many categorical as well as non-categorical statements, mixed with many disclaimers on the existence of Brahman, often referred to as the unknown “One”, without a name and form. There are many hymns in Rig Veda, which were heard by different Rishis in different times, which explained the nature of creation. Creation concepts are spelt out in hymns such as Hiranya Gharba Suktam, Satapada Brahmana, Vedanta Suktam, Bagavata Puranam, Matsaya Puranam, Narayana Suktam, Isavasya Upanishad etc. All of them are more or less in agreement about the Singularity, Brahman, who exists eternally. We will see three of them in details here, namely Nasadiya Suktham, Purusha Sukatam and Hyranyagharba Suktam.
The concept of creation, as detailed in the Vedas has been widely discussed and debated all over the world, especially by the scientist fraternity who are eager to get to know the “God. Particle”, by all means. Vedas being the well preserved ancient texts, many westerners are delving deep into it to see if they can get the desired pearls.
A special plaque next to the Shiva statue at CERN explains the significance of the metaphor of Shiva’s cosmic dance with several quotations from The Tao of Physics.
Here is the text of the plaque:
Ananda K.
Coomaraswamy, seeing beyond the unsurpassed rhythm, beauty, power and grace of
the Nataraja, once wrote of it “It is the clearest image of the activity of God
which any art or religion can boast of.”
More recently, Fritjof
Capra explained that “Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and
destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth
and death of all living creatures, but is also the very essence of inorganic
matter,” and that “For the modern physicists, then, Shiva’s dance is the dance
of subatomic matter.”
It is indeed as Capra concluded: “Hundreds of years ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. In our time, physicists have used the most advanced technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance. The metaphor of the cosmic dance thus unifies ancient mythology, religious art and modern physics.”
According to the Hindu view of creation, it was sound and not light that appeared first. In Vedic parlance, it is called Nada Brahma or the Cosmic Sound. Vedic rishis believed that the evolution of the Brahmand or universe was caused as a result of Bindu explosion, that produced infinite waves of sound, which represent cosmic ascent and expansion. The sound was a monosyllable: Ohm. Since Ohm is related to the beginning of the universe, Hindus consider it the most sacred syllable with which Vedic mantras commence. Ohm is the principal name of the Supreme Being. It refers to all that it manifest and beyond.
Nasadiya Suktam on Creation
Verses from Rig Veda tenth mandala (10.129), also known as “Nasadiya Suktam” subtly explain the concept of Brahman and Maya. It goes as follows:
-In the beginning, desire, the first
seed of mind, arose in That One.
-Non-existence and existence were not
then present.
-There was no air nor the heaven beyond.
-Who knows what did it contain and under
whose protection they existed?
-Was there water present, unfathomable,
profound?
-Death or immortality was not then.
-There was no distinction between night
and day.
-That “One” breathed, windless, by its
own power.
-Other than that, there was nothing
beyond.
-In the beginning there was darkness
concealed by darkness.
-All this was water without distinction.
-The One, covered by voidness, emerged
through the heat of austerity.
-Perhaps there was a below; perhaps
there was an above.
-There were givers of seed; there were
powers; effort below, impulse above. -Who knows the truth? Where from this
creation happened?
-Who here will confirm the source of
this birth?
-The Gods appeared afterward, with the
creation of this world.
-Who then knows where from it arose?
-Whether it created itself, or whether
it did not?
-He who looks upon it from highest
space, he surely knows.
-Or maybe, even He knows not.”
You can listen to this Suktam in the following
link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-sTO3vhvr0
Thus, we find, the seers avoided using categorical statements and left it to the readers to understand that these are just their true observations. They did not impose any views of their own but just presented their observations as it was.
This Nasadiya Suktam of Rig Veda has invited attention all over the world. A
western view on Creation concept in Hinduism is worth listening in the
following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX1pSqingAY
Purusha Suktam on Creation
Another hymn, Purusha Suktam, (Rig Veda 10.7.90.1-16) describes the creation of beings from Purusha, the Brahman. The following link takes you through this Suktam with lyrics and meaning. This is still prevalent even today and is recited in all Vedic rituals, functions and in temples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ayvRqxVi4E
Meaning of 16 verses of Purusha Suktam:
The Purusha is cosmic Person, the Universal Consciousness animating all manifestation. One with the thousands of manifestation, He pervades each part of the creation and extends beyond in the ten directions represented by ten fingers.
All this (manifestation) is the Purusha alone—whatever was and whatever will be. He transcends all in His Form as food (the universe). By surrendering one can transcend the gross world and gets Mukti (ultimate liberation).
Words cannot express the greatness of Purusha. One-fourth of Him all beings are, while three-fourth of Purusha rises above as the Immortal Being.
The Three Parts of the Purusha is High Above (in Transcendental Realm), and His One Part becomes the Creation again and again. There, in the Creation, He pervades all the Living and the Non-Living beings.
From Purusha, the Cosmic Body (Virat) Originates, and in this Cosmic Body, Omnipresent Intelligence manifests itself. Having manifested Himself, He appeared as all diversity, and then as this earth and this body.
With the Purusha as the Fire, the Deva continued the Yajna (in contemplation by mind), Spring was the clarified Butter, Summer was the Fuel, and Autumn was the Havis (Sacrificial offering of that Yajna).
The First Divine Men were created as the Holy Water sprinkled with the Kusa Grass in that Yajna. The First Divine Men were the Sadhya Devas and the Rishis, Who were created by Him, the Deva (the Shining One, referring to Virat), Who performed the Yajna. (These Rishis were not human but divine Rishis like Saptarshis created directly by Virat).
From the Complete Offering of His Yajna was obtained Ghee mixed with coagulated Milk, which are Animals, both of Air and of Forests and Villages.
From the Complete Offering of His Yajna was born the Rig Veda and Sama Veda, The Chandas were born from Him, and the Yajur Veda was born from Him.
From Him was born the Horses, and all those animals who has teeth in both jaws, From Him was born the Cows, and from Him was born all types of Goats.
What did the Purusha hold within Him? How many parts were assigned in His Huge Form? What was His Mouth? What was His Arms? What was His Thighs? And what was His Feet?
The Brahmanas were His Mouth, the Kshatriyas became His Arms, The Vaishyas were His Thighs, and the Shudras were assigned to His Feet.
The Moon was born from His Mind and the Sun was born from His Eyes, Indra and Agni were born from His Mouth, and Vayu was born from His Breath.
His Navel became the Antariksha (Space), His Head sustained the Heaven, From His Feet the Earth, and from His Ears the Directions; in this manner all the Worlds were regulated by Him.
By making Seven Enclosures with Three times Seven sacrificial Firewood, the Deva in that Yajna, bound the infinite expanse of the Purusha as finite living beings.
The Devas performed the external Yajna by meditating on the real Yajna; And thus they first obtained the Dharma. By Meditating on the Greatness of the Chidakasha, during those earlier times, the Spiritual Aspirants became the Shining One themselves.
(Ref:Vedicfeed.com)
Hiranyagharbha Suktam on Creation
Hiranya means “golden” and Gharba means “Womb” and it refers to the cosmic womb, called Brahmanda – Brahman’s Anda (Egg).
Modern Science - Georges Lemaitre first noted in 1927 that an expanding universe could be traced back in time to an originating single point. He presented his new idea that the universe is expanding and provided the first observational estimation of what is known as the Hubble constant. What later will be known as the "Big Bang theory" of the origin of the universe, he called his "hypothesis of the primeval atom" or the "Cosmic Egg".
Listen to the Suktm in the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoeC1ySyT0U
This Suktam explains the process of
creation as follows:
In
the beginning was the Divinity in his splendour, manifested as the sole Lord of
land, skies, water, space and that beneath and He upheld the earth and the
heavens. Who is the deity we shall worship with our offerings?
It
is He who bestows soul-force and vigour, whose guidance all men invoke, the
Devas invoke-whose shadow is immortal life and death. Who is the deity we shall
worship with our offerings?
It
is He who by His greatness became the One King of the breathing and the seeing,
who is the Lord of man and bird and beast. Who is the deity we shall worship
with our offerings?
It
is He through whose glory the snow-clad mountains rose, and the ocean spread
with the river, they say. His arms are the quarters of the sky. Who is the
deity we shall worship with our offerings ?
It
is He through whom the heaven is strong and the earth firm, who has steadied
the light and the sky's vault, and measured out the sphere of clouds in the
mid-region. Who is the deity we shall worship with our offering?
It
is He to whom heaven and earth, placed in the light by his grace, look up,
radiant with the mind while over them the sun, rising, brightly shines. Who is
the deity we shall worship with our offerings?
When
the mighty waters came, carrying the universal germ, producing the flame of
life, then dwelt there in harmony the One Spirit of the Devas. Who is the deity
we shall worship with our offerings?
It
is He who in his might surveyed the waters, conferring skill and creating
worship - He, the God of gods, the One and only One. Who is the deity we shall
worship with our offerings?
Father
of the world - may He not destroy us who with Truth as his Law made the heavens
and produced waters, vast and beautiful. Who is the deity we shall worship with
our offerings?
Lord of creation! No one other than thee pervades all these that have come into being. May that be ours, for which our prayers rise, may we be masters of many treasures!
Rig Veda Concepts on Time
Time is measured in terms of “Kalpa” as far as Cosmic time is concerned and in terms of normal days and nights for individuals. Cosmic life of Brahma, the creator god, was 100 cosmic years. Creation starts during the cosmic day and dissolves when the day ends. There will then be the cosmic night of Brahma with no activity anywhere, with only darkness all around. Creation begins again the next cosmic day. One Kalpa, the cosmic day, when measured in terms of human days, amounts to 4.32 billion years, followed by another 4.32 billion years of cosmic night. If this is one day and night of Brahma, imagine 100 cosmic ‘years’ of Brahma, after which his life ends, and a new Brahma takes over.
‘Manu’ brings another measure of time, known as ‘Manvantara’, similar to Kalpa of Brahma. Each Kalpa is shared by 14 Manus, who rules the universe on behalf of Brahma, the creator god. In this fashion, we have already been ruled by 6 Manus so far in this Kalpa, the respective Manvantaras being Swayambhuva, Swarochisha, Uttama, Taamasa, Raivata and Chaakshusha. The current ruler is Vaivasvatha Manu. He would be followed by Savarni, Daksha-Savarni, Brahma-Savarni, Dharma-Savarni.
Each Manvantara is further split into “Maha Yugas”, in such a way that one Kalpa becomes equal to 1000 Maha Yugas. Each Maha yuga consists of 43,20,000 human years and are further split into 4 simple yugas, namely Satya Yuga (also known as Kritha yuga), Tretha yuga, Dvapara yuga and Kali yuga.
Satya (Krita) Yuga = 17,28,000 years
Treta Yuga = 12,96,000 years
Dvapara Yuga = 8,64,000 years
Kali Yuga = 4,32,000 years
---------------------------------------
Total = 43,20,000 years
The life span if human beings progressively shrink in each yuga. The current human life span in Kali Yuga, which began in 3101 BC, is placed at a maximum of 120 years. Thus, we have spent only about 5000 years out of 4,32,000 years of Kali Yuga.
Look at the massiveness of the periods and the panoramic view of cosmic time as a finite part of Eternity. The Rishis have therefore claimed it thus: “Who knows when creation began?”. The modern scientific concept of a “Oscillating Universe” tends to agree with this creation continuum.
The concept of Yuga is deep rooted in millions of Hindu minds corroborated by the ten incarnations (Dasavatara) of Maha Vishnu. It began with Matsya (fish), Kurma (Tortoise), Varaha (Boar) and Narasimha (Man-Lion) avatar at the dawn of the present Svetha Varaha Kalpa. It was followed by Rama and Krishna in later yugas.
It would be interesting to note that whatever prayer people in India engage in today, always commences with a Sankalpa, a statement of resolve, that sets out the time and place of its offering in the following terms:
adyabrahmanaha dvitiyaparardhe svethavarahakalpe
vaivasvatamanvantare ashtavimsatitame kaliyuge prathamepadhe
jamboodveepe bhrathavarshe bharathakhante
meroh dakshine parve sakabade asmin vartamane
vyavaharike prabhavadeenam sashtiya samvatsaranam madhye
……… namasamvatsare ……….
Meaning:
This day, in the second half of Brahma’s life, during Svetavaraha Kalpa, during Vaivasvatha Manvantara, in the first quarter of the 28th Kali Yuga, in the Bharatha Year, in the Jambudvipa continent, in Bharathavarsha country, South of the holy mountain Meru, in the current year ……, within the middle of the current 60-year cycle commencing with the year Prabhava, …………….” (I offer this prayer for the satisfaction of the Supreme God)
We recite the above verses of Rig Veda even to this day, which is ample proof of its living presence amongst us, reminding us that we are a tiny dot in the Infinite and Eternal dimensions of this Cosmos.
Gods mentioned in Rig Veda
Collective deities are also mentioned in Rig Veda, like the
Adityas, (the solar deities), the Maruts or Rudras, (Gods of the storm), the
Ribhus or Divine craftsmen and the Vishvedevas, (literally all the universal
Gods). Apart from the Gods, there are mention about Gandharvas (celestial
beings), apsaras (celestial nymphs) and
rakshasas (demons).
Deities were worshipped through prayers and sacrificial rituals
(Yagnas). Sacrifices mostly involved milk, ghee, grains etc poured into the sacred
fire, following a set of procedures and mantras. The gods were offered these
offerings through the medium of fire. Rig Veda does not mention temples or worship of idols.
These must have become popular at later times. Rig Veda hymns only describes
the beauty of the gods but not the idols.
Each God or Goddess can be any or all the Gods. The concepts of
monotheism, polytheism, pantheism and monism are all woven together in the
Vedic vision of totality. The Divine is seen as both One and Many without
contraction.
Rig Vedic text, एकं सद्विप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति which translates to “God is one but learned men
describe him in many ways”. We will see here some important Deities found in
the Rig Veda.
Agni:
Agni enjoys a special status in Rig Veda mantras, which start and end with the Agni Sutram. Agni, the Fire God, takes the central position in the Vedas, as he is the messenger to God and is the foremost requirement for yagna or sacrificial fire offerings to God. Agni is often called the divine priest and compared with the Brahmin priests who mediate between human beings and the gods through the medium of Sanskrit mantras. Agni is mentioned in 218 hymns in the Rig Veda.
We are in the presence of a mystic symbolism to which the fire, the sacrifice, the priest are only outward figures of a deeper teaching. Who, then, is this god Agni, to whom language of so mystic a fervour is addressed ? Sri Aurobindo concludes, after lot of deliberations, that the psychological meaning of Agni is the 'Divine or Cosmic Will and Power' in man, perfectly inspired by Divine Wisdom.
Agni is the Deva, the All-Seer, manifested as conscious-force or, as it would be called in modern language, Divine or Cosmic Will, first hidden and building up the eternal worlds, then manifest, “born”, building up in man the Truth and the Immortality. Gods and men, says Vishwamitra in effect, kindle this divine force by lighting the fires of the inner sacrifice.
Indra:
There are many references to Indra defeating hotile forces and demons, including the serpent demon Viritra, using thunderbolt as weapon. Many scholars interpret this story as a creation myth.
Sri Aurobindo claims that Indra refers to the "Mind Power" in man. and the word "Indriya', which means the faculties of our senses is an off-shoot of Indra. His aboard, 'Swarga', refers to the plane of mental consciousness, the pure unobscured Mind.
He is addressed as Indra of the richly-various lustres. The Soma-juices desire him. He comes impelled by the thought, driven forward by the illumined thinker within, to the soul-thoughts of the Rishi who has pressed out the wine of delight and seeks to manifest them in speech, in the inspired mantras;
Surya or Savitha, the Sun god:
Rig Veda is flush with the praise of the Sun
God, the energizer, the life supporter and the Father of the Planets. Rig Veda 5.54.4 mentions how
the Sun keep the other planets, including the Earth, under his command. The famous
Gayatri Mantra of Rig Veda is dedicated by Rishi Viswamitra to Saithur, the Sun
God.
The sun god carries a high significance to-date, even though only 8 Hymns were dedicated to him, partly because the Gayatri Mantra was originally dedicated to him. He travels on a chariot with one wheel, drawn by 7 horses, symbolically referring to the 7 colours of the visible light spectrum.
Sun has Yama and Shani as his sons. According to Purusha Sukta 1.10.90-15, Surya originates from the eye of Purusha and Purusha has thousand eyes! Does this mean that there are thousands of Suns in the Universe?
Sri Aurobindo says that Surya represents the 'illumination of Truth (Rhitm)' raising in our minds and received by our mental consciousness. Surya is the Lord of the supreme Sight, the vast Light or as it is sometimes called, the true Light,
Gayathri Mata
Soma:
Soma, the personified immortal nectar, is found in 123 hymns in Rig Veda. In the Vedas, the same word (soma) is used for the drink, the plant, and its deity. Oozing out of the Soma plant by pressing and filtering the juice 3 times, Soma helps one to realise the absolute Truth. This is not an intoxicating drink.
The descriptions of the Soma plant given in the Rig Veda are under constant scan to trace such a plant in the Mountain ranges of the Himalayas. Rig Veda has devoted a whole Mandala on Soma. Such is its importance. Some later hymns even identify Soma to be the Moon.
“Soma! You are protected by seven layers of covers. Humans cannot take part in drinking you. But only the seers know the real nature of the regent deity of Soma.” (Rv. X.85).
Soma refers to a god, a plant, and a ritual drink, and the distinction between the three is not always made clear in the Rigveda. Soma is especially associated with Indra, so much so that it is rare to see one referenced without the other. Soma the drink inspires and empowers Indra to perform many of his mighty deeds. Yet Soma himself is also a god capable of his own feats. He is a great and heroic warrior depicted as the victor in all of his battles, capable of repelling all enemies.
As per Sri Aurobindo, Soma refers to the Nectar which oozes out in the cerebrum of Yogins, which is divinely intoxicating. The mention of Soma being protected by seven layers of covers may refer to the seven body chakras, which need to be crossed, from Muladhara upwards till Sahasrara chakra, after raising the Kundalini Sakthi to reach the elixir of life, the intoxication of the Ananda, the divine delight of being, inflowing upon the mind from the supra-mental consciousness.
Vigneshwar:
Creation began with Pranva mantra and Lord Vigneswar needs special mention as He is the Omkaraswaroopi. There is a reference to Lord Ganapati in the Rig Veda (RV 2.23.1), though not directly by name, but as Brahmanaspati, the leader of the group of gods. Following is the excellent vedic rendering on Lord Vigneshwar found in Upanishads:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGHCdS1jClY
Meaning:
Aum! Let us listen with our ears to that which is auspicious, adorable one. Let us perceive with our eyes what is holy and auspicious. With strong, stable body and limbs, may we seek the divine grace and accept the noble order of all our life.
Ganesha, Salutations to YOU, YOU are actually the Brahma Tattvam. Only because YOU bless an action, it happens. Only YOU are the ONE who holds us from falling. Only YOU remove obstacles and ignorance. YOU are the Brahman, the ultimate divine power. YOU are the soul that is part of everything.
I surrender to you, Lord Ganesha. You are the speaker. You are the listener. You are the giver. You are the sustainer. I am your disciple. Protect me from the front and back. Protect me from the north and the south, from above and below. Protect me from all directions.
You are full of perfect knowledge, of truth and of awareness. You are full of bliss and pure consciousness. You are the absolute awareness. You are full of supreme wisdom and knowledge. You are the earth, water, fire, air and the space. You are the root foundation of speech. You are beyond the three gunas: sattva, rajas and tamas. You are beyond the physical, mental and causal bodies. You are beyond the three aspects of time: past, present and future. You are eternally established in the muladhara chakra. You have three shaktis: action, knowledge and will.
Salutation to the Ganapati whose seed mantra is Aum Gam. We know Ekadanta, the One-tusked God, the unique God. We meditate upon Vakratunda, the curved-trunk God. May that unique elephant God illumine our consciousness and direct us along the right track.
One should meditate upon Lord Ganesha having one tusk and four arms; holding the noose and goad with two of them; with the other two indicating varada, the giving of boons and blessings, and abhaya mudra, the fear removing gesture; having a mouse as the emblem on his ensign; possessing a big, beautiful belly and large, lovely ears, which look like winnowing baskets; having a red cloth and His whole body covered with red sandalwood paste. He should be worshiped with red flowers.
He manifests Himself as the universe and is beyond prakriti, matter, and Purusha, the manifest God. One who worships Ganesha in this way forever is the best of yogis.
Prostrations to Vratapati, the
Lord of Plenty.
Prostrations to Ganapati, the
Lord of various groups of Gods.
Prostrations to Pramathapati,
the Lord of Siva's hosts.
Prostrations to Lambodara, the
full-bellied God with a single tusk, destroyer of obstacles, the Son of Siva,
the Bestower of all Blessings.
Sapta Rishi:
The Rig Veda consists of the hymns to various aspects of the
Divine as seen by various Rishis. There are seven primary seers, identified not only in India but also in Persia
and China with the seven stars of the Big Dipper. Their names are Atri, Kanwa,
Vasishta, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Gautama and Bharadvaja, but they appear even
in the hymns of these sages and may refer to an earlier group. They relate to
the guiding lights of the seven chakras. The main family of the seers was
called the Angirasa (a term related to the Greek Angelos and our English word
angels).
The northern sky region around the Saptaṛṣi-maṇḍala (U. Major) has always held prominent position in ancient texts as the base of the heaven and the centre of the universe. This region was the seat of another constellation known as Śiśumāra, identifiable with the modern constellation Draco. The first star at the head of this figure was called Dharma. Two among the fourteen stars making up the figure of this constellation were known as Mitra and Varuṇa in the ancient texts, to which the above hymns refer. The fourteenth star at the tail end of this aquatic animal figure was called Abhaya, the original Dhruva or the fixed Pole Star.
Vasishta and his wife Arunthathi are even today celebrated as the inseparable couple and are worshipped by newly married couple. The six wives of the other rishis became Krithika stars who brought up Lord Karthikeya.
These Sapta Rishis are also said to represent the seven body chakras.
Varuna:
The
god of water, Varuna is another prominent god in Rig Veda, he is the Lord of
the sea. He is the lord of natural law & order. He oversees righteousness and
justice through his thousand eyes. He rides a chariot pulled by swans in early
pictures and late pics depict him riding a crocodile. He was a prominent deity
in beginning but he granted Indra and Prajapati his positions. He has been
dedicated 46 hymns in Rig Veda. He is considered the guardian of the western
direction in Vedas.
Varuna in the Veda is always characterised as a power of wideness (vastness) and purity; when, therefore, he is present in man as a conscious force of the Truth, all that limits and hurts the nature by introducing into it fault, sin and evil is destroyed by contact with him. He is destroyer of the enemy, of all that seek to injure the growth.
There are two obstacles which prevent the intellect from being a perfect and luminous mirror of the truth-consciousness; first, impurity of the discernment or discriminative faculty which leads to confusion of the Truth, secondly the many causes or influences which interfere with the growth of the Truth by limiting its full application or by breaking up the connections and harmony of the thoughts that
express it and which thus bring about poverty and falsification of its contents.
Vayu:
Vayu is often symbolized as a breath giver (Prana) in many legends of Rig Veda. He is portrayed as a Gazelle riding, powerful, destroyer who made a lot of noise when he moved around. The 12 hymns dedicated to him in Vedas, describe his beauty. He holds the title of lord of thoughts, beauty, and intelligence.
Sri Aurobindo refers Vayu as Prana, the "Life Power", which controls all nervous activities and mental energies. Indra, together with Vayu, maintain normal mentality of man. Hence Indra and Vayu always are mentioned together in Vedas. They both re invited to drink 'Soma', the intoxication of the Ananda, the divine delight of being, inflowing upon the mind from the supramental consciousness. In other words Indra and Vayu awaken the consciousness.
Yama:
Yama
is dedicated very few hymns in Rig Veda but he stands very tall amongst
important gods from the Veda. Vedic hymns describe him as lord of justice and
king of the dead who uses his mace and noose to punish or drag dead to his
world. He supervises deeds performed by people and gives them appropriate
punishment. He uses a heavenly buffalo as his Vahana. He also possesses two
dogs who have four eyes and wide nostril; they guard the doorway to his world
(Yamaloka). Rig veda mentions Yama in 4 hymns.
Ashvins:
Ashwins are twin divine powers associated with medicine, health, Dawn and science. They are guardian Gods, travelling 'swiftly' on horses (Ashva), ever alert and willing to rescue anyone in trouble. They are symbolic of life-energy and nervous force, the Prana. They are physicians, they bring back youth to the old, health to the sick and wholeness to the maimed.
The Ashvins are generally mentioned as the twin stars being sons of the sun god Surya & Sanjana (daughter of Visvakarma). They are associated with the dawn goddess Ushas. In the epic Mahabharata the Pandava twins Nakula and Sahadeva were the spiritual children of the Ashvins and they possessed special medical powers. There are 58 hymns dedicated to Asvins in Rig Veda.
Maruts:
They are large number of Rudra Ganas, warriors, who are associated with the "storm" deity. In the Vedic mythology, they are the off-springs of Rudra and the Maruts act as Indra's companions, as a troop of young warriors. They are furious, making heavy noise while fighting the war against evil ones. There are 38 hymns in praise of the Maruts.
Mitra:
Mitra is the god of friendship and treaties and generally loves peace. He protects all contracts, oaths and agreements and gets angry if someone breaches faith. He pairs with Varuna, the god of Cosmic Rhythm and Justice, in punishing the guilty. There are 28 hymns in praise of Mitra.
Mitra represents Love, Joy and Harmony, the foundations of Mayas, the Vedic beatitude. Working with the purity of Varuna and imparting that purity to the discernment, he enables it to get rid of all discords and confusions and establish the right working of the strong and luminous intellect.
Ushas:
This Vedic Goddess of Dawn, the beautiful daughter of the sky god, drives away oppressive darknessand rouses all life in the early hours, setting all in motion to do their duties. This auspicious arouser of cosmic and moral order is also called the Ṛta. She rides on a golden chariot, drawn by red horses in the morning sky, making way for the Sun. 21 Slokas of the Rig veda describes her beauty.
Usha is described repeatedly as the Mother of the Cows. If then the cow is a Vedic symbol for the physical light or for spiritual or inner illumination the phrase must either bear this sense that she is the mother or source of the physical rays of the daylight or else that she creates the radiances of the supreme
Ribhus:
Rbhus referrs to 'three' male artisans whose abilities and austerities make them into divinities. Their individual names are Ribhu, Vaja and Vibhu; but they were collectively called Ribhus.
Ribhus are depicted in some legends of the Vedic literature as three sons of the goddess of morning light, named Saranyu and Hindu god Indra. They are famous for their creative abilities, innovation and they design chariots, the magic cow of plenty, channels for rivers, and tools for Indra and other gods. They are revered in ancient Hindu texts as sages, as stars, or rays of the sun. Eleven hymns are dedicated to Ribhus.
Adityas:
Adityas refers to the 12 offspring of the goddess Aditi and her husband, sage Kashyapa, named as: “Vamana, Aryaman, Indra, Tvastha, Varuna, Dhata, Bhaga, Parjanya, Vivasvan, Amshuman, Mitra and Pushan”. The name Ādityá, in the singular, is taken to refer to the sun god, Surya. In each month of the year, it is a different Ādityá who shines as the Sun-God.
As Indra or Vishnu, Surya destroys the enemies of the gods. As Dhata, he creates living beings. As Parjanya, he showers down rain. As Tvashta, he lives in the trees and herbs. As Pusha, he makes food grains grow. As Aryama, he is in the wind. As Bhaga, he is in the body of all living beings. As Vivasvana, he is in fire and helps to cook food. As Amshumana, he is again in the wind. As Varuna, he is in the waters and as Mitra, he is in the moon and in the oceans.
Pushan:
Pushan is a guardian deity, who guides travellers on their way and protects them. He guides the Sun in its travel across the sky. He protects men, horses and cattle from various dangers on the road. In the Puranas, Pushan is described as one of the twelve Adityas. Ten hymns are dedicated to Pushan.
Pushan is one of the twelve Adityas that reside in the heavens above with his parents, Sage Kashyap and Aditi. He wears his hair in braids, has a beard, and carries a golden sceptre.
According to the Vishnu Purana, one of the 12 Adityas would take the role of the sun every month and rule over the planets for that entire month (12 Adityas represent the twelve months). As per hymns in the Rig Veda, Pushan has a chariot pulled by rams, which can be interpreted as a symbolic way of representing the Mesha Rashi or Ram constellation preceding the Revati constellation that is ruled by Pushan. During the New Year, the two mentioned constellations appear just before sunrise, in the dim-lit winter sky in the northern hemisphere, and this astronomical event is creatively narrated through the symbolic story of Pushan’s chariot clearing the path for the sun god, Surya and his chariot pulled by the seven-headed horse, Uchchaihshravas.
Brihaspathi:
He is the personification of planet Jupiter and is praised in 50 hymns in 4th mandala. He is considered as guru (teacher) of the Devas. In the Vedic literature and other ancient texts, sage Brihaspati is also called by other names such as Purohita, Angirasa (son of Angiras) and Vyasa. His wife is Tara or goddess who personifies the stars in the sky.
Dyaus:
He is the sky deity, depicted as the husband of the earth goddess, Prithvi and father of Ushas, the goddess of Dawn. Dyaus fertilises the earth to produce food for all. He is praised in 6 hymns.
Dyaus and Prithivi represent the pure mental and the physical consciousness; between them is the Antariksha, the intermediate or connecting level of the vital or nervous consciousness.
Apas:
Found
in 6 hymns, Apas is the water goddess. Agni is supposed to be the offspring of
Apas, (Apam Nepat). In Hindu
philosophy, the term refers to water
as an element, one of the Panchamahabhuta, or
"five great elements". It is also the name of the deva Varuna a personification of
water. Apparently it refers to the cosmic fluid that files the sky and not to the physical water as we know of.
Brahma:
Vishnu
Six hymns are dedicated to Lord Vishnu, the Trinity God. The. main praise to Vishnu is in the Purusha Suktam, the creation hymn.
Rudra: (Shiva)
Meaning:
“I surrender myself to Lord Shiva, who has three eyes, who is as pleasing as the sweet smell of an incense and who gives vitality to the devotee to perform devotional service. Just like a cucumber is freed from its stem naturally, be merciful upon me and smoothly release me from the shackles of bondage through a natural death.”
The earliest mentions of Rudra occur in the Rigveda, where three entire hymns are devoted to him. There are about seventy-five references to Rudra in the Rigveda overall.
In the Rigveda, Rudra's role as a frightening god is apparent in references to him as ghora ('extremely terrifying'). He is 'fierce like a formidable wild beast' (RV 2.33.11). 'Rudra is regarded with a kind of cringing fear, as a deity whose wrath is to be deprecated and whose favor curried'. RV 1.114 is an appeal to Rudra for mercy, where he is referred to as 'mighty Rudra, the god with braided hair'. In RV 7.46, Rudra is described as armed with a bow and fast-flying arrows.
Rudra was believed to cure diseases, and when people recovered from them or were free of them, that too was attributed to the agency of Rudra. He is asked not to afflict children with disease (RV 7.46.2) and to keep villages free of illness (RV 1.114.1). He is said to have healing remedies (RV 1.43.4), as the best physician of physicians (RV 2.33.4), and as possessed of a thousand medicines (RV 7.46.3). So he is described with an alternative name, Vaidyanatha (Lord of Remedies).
Sri Maha Lakshmi:
There is a special hymn dedicated to the consort of Maha Vishnu for grant of wealth and all prosperity; here is the Sri Suktam for you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOjChrwFlAk&list=OLAK5uy_l_NwHYIB5o5OrVYtCYtMymBUXH29c-hJc&index=3
Koumara:
The Subrahmanya suktam consists of three Rig Vedic suktas:
1. Mandala 4, sukta 15: The Rishi here is Vamadeva Gautama, devatas are
Agni, Somaka, and the Ashvins. The meter is the celebrated Gayatri
2. Mandala 5 sukta 2: The Rishi is kumara Atreya, the devata is Agni.
3. Mandala 10, sukta 62: The Rishi is Nabhanedishtha, the devatas are
Vishvedevas or Angirasas and Savarni.
The first two suktas speak of "kumara" whereas the fourth Rik in the third
sukta contains the word "Subrahmanyam". You can hear the Kumara Suktham in the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRrejtErvN4
Dadhikras
Dadhikrā is the name of a divine horse or bird, personification of the morning Sun, which is addressed in the Rigveda. He is invoked in the morning along with Agni, Ushas and the Asvins. Although the etymological origin is not certain, it has been suggested that the name is derived from dadhi meaning thickened milk and kri meaning to scatter. This scattering could attributed to the effect of the morning sun on dew or hoar frost.
Saraswathi
Saraswati means, “she of the stream, the flowing movement”, and is therefore a natural name both for a river and for the goddess of inspiration. In initial passages of Rig Veda, the word refers to the Sarasvati River and is mentioned as one among several north-western Indian rivers. Saraswati, then, connotes a river deity. In Book 2, the Rigveda describes Saraswati as the best of mothers, of rivers, and of goddesses. She is regarded even today as the goddess of knowledge, music, arts, speech, wisdom and learning.
Saraswati, the divine Word represents the 'stream of inspiration' that descends from the Truth-consciousness, and thus limpidly runs their sense. It reveals the figure of Saraswati as the goddess of the inspiration. It establishes the connection between the seven Vedic rivers and psychological states of mind.
The rivers have a symbolic sense in later Indian thought; as for instance Ganges,
Yamuna and Saraswati and their confluence are in the Tantric imagery Yogic symbols.
Saraswati is not only connected with other rivers but with other goddesses who are plainly psychological symbols and especially with Bharati and Ila. In the later Puranic forms of worship Saraswati is the goddess of speech, of learning and of poetry and Bharati is one of her12 names, but in the Veda Bharati and Saraswati are different deities. Bharati is also called Mahi, the Large, Great or Vast. The three, Ila, Mahi or Bharati and Saraswati are associated together in a constant formula in those hymns of invocation in which the gods are called by Agni to the Sacrifice.
Saraswati is an awakener of the consciousness to right thinking or right states of mind. She is full of energy, ('Suvira'), and brings knowledge. The seven rivers are conscious currents, great flood of inspiration, out of the sub-conscious depths in us.
Parjanya
Parjanya is
a deity of 'rain', thunder, lightning, and the one who fertilizes the earth. The
Vedic poet
claims Parjanya and Prithvi as
father and mother of all beings. His other wives are Bhūmi and
the sacred cow Vasa. He
is also considered as a protector of poets and an enemy of flesh-eating fire.
Two hymns of the Rigveda, 5.83 and 7.101, are dedicated to Parjanya. In Vedic Sanskrit Parjanya means "rain" or "raincloud". Prayers dedicated to Parjanya, to invoke the blessings of rains. Parjanya was also one of the Saptarishi in the fifth Manvantara. He is one of the 12 Adityas.
Vaak: (2 hymns)
Vaak is a Vedic goddess, a personified form of 'speech'. She enters into the inspired poets and visionaries, gives expression and energy to those she loves; she is called the "mother of the Vedas" and consort of Prajapati, or Brahma. She is identified with goddess Sarasvati in later Vedic literature and post-Vedic texts.
Vaastospathi: (2 hymns):
Vāstospati ("house-protector") is a Rigvedic deity that presides over the foundation of a
house, addressed in RV 7.55. Some claim it to be another
name for Rudra, an avatar of Shiva. In modern-day Hinduism, he is
regarded as the lord and protector of the household.
Vāstu means the site for building and also
the house. Hence vāstu pūjā means the worship of the site chosen
for building a temple or a house. It is treated as a must for safe and sound
construction.
Vāstu-purusa is the presiding deity of the site. According to legend in the Matsya-purāna, Lord Shiva assumed a ferocious form to kill the demon Andhaka. Drops of perspiration fell from Shiva's forehead and therefrom a fierce ghost came out. He was given a boon by Shiva. Thereafter he fell down covering the entire earth. Then he came to be worshipped.
Manyu:
Manyu suktam from Rig Veda is available in the following link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDbf98nCWVI
Manyú, Vedic Sanskrit for "spirit, temper, ardour, passion, anger" is a war god, wielder of thunder and slayer of foes. He is fierce, a queller of the foe and is self-existent. He is beseeched to bring health and wealth. Rig veda 10:83 & 84 contains “Manyu Suktam”. Manyu is seen as Rudra by Saivites and as Narasimha by Vaishnavites.
Purusha
Purusha is the cosmic principle, pure
consciousness, the ultimate Brahman. In early Vedas, Purusha was
a cosmic being whose sacrifice by the gods created all life. This was one of
many creation
theories discussed
in the Vedas. Purusha is
the Universal principle that is unchanging, uncaused but is present everywhere
as against Prakruti, the ever changing aspect of the same Purusha.
The Universe is envisioned in these ancient Sanskrit texts as a combination of the perceivable material reality and non-perceivable, non-material laws and principles of nature. In the Rig Veda, Puruṣa is all that yet hath been and all that is to be" (पुरुष एवेदं सर्वं यद भूतं यच्च भव्यम). Purusha is what connects everything and everyone according to the various schools of Hinduism and is probably the answer to the unified field, scientists are looking for.
Aditi, the Mother of all:
In the Rigveda,
Aditi is one of the most important figures of all. Aditi is the mother of the
celestial deities, the Adityas,
and is referred to as the mother of many gods. She is mentioned nearly 80 times
in the Rigveda.
Aditi, with sage Kashyapa, had 33 sons, out of which twelve are called Âdityas including Surya, eleven are called Rudras and eight are called Vasus. Aditi is said to be the mother of the great god Indra. She is also the mother of the Vamana, avatar of Vishnu.
We see in the Veda that Aditi is described both as the Cow and as the Divine Mother; she is the Supreme Light and all radiances proceed from her. Psychologically, Aditi is the supreme or infinite Consciousness, mother of the gods. In a more general aspect, she is the source of all the cosmic forms of consciousness from the physical upwards; the seven cows, sapta gavah, are her forms.
Bhaga:
The god of fortune, prosperity and happiness, Bhaga, is one of the 12 Adityas. Bhaga's responsibility is to make sure that people received a share of the material benefits in life. He is associated with his brother, Aryaman, regarding the expectation of a successful marriage. Bhaga is described as the perception of Divinity, as the one who possesses the material prosperity of life, and who ordains the fate and fortune of the people by giving them their apportioned share. Bhaga is still prayed to in most of the Hindu house-holds, through the famous bhāgya sūktam (RV 7.41, also quoted in YV, AV.ś) of Vasiṣṭha.
Click the following link to listen to this Bhagya suktam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7TqBVpM7II
Vishve’ Devas:
The group of deities known as Vishve devas is of considerable importance in Vedic literature and also in Hindu religious observances. According to Sri Aurobindo, the tenth mandala mentions the number in the group of Gods, called, Vishve devas, is 3339. The legend outlined in the hymn is briefly as follows:
Agni had three elder brothers who were doing the work of carrying sacrificial offerings to gods. All the three died due to the harsh sounds uttered during the sacrifices. Hence the youngest one, known as ‘Sauchīka’, fearing the same treatment will befall him, went hiding in (celestial) waters, till Vishve Devas found him and requested him to come out and help in carrying sacrificial offerings to gods. Saucīka agrees to their request under the condition that he should have prominent role in the yajna and that he should get the prayāja and anuyāja offerings to protect him.
Brihatharanya Upanishad explains this legend at great length to conclude with the total number of Vishve Devas as the sum of three different numbers, namely 3003; 303 and 33. Taking clue from later Puranas, this number represents the number of deities who drink Soma from the moon starting from Pournami till Amavasya, making the moon shrink in size. The size of the altar of fire yagna was also equal to 3339 units to accommodate all the Visve Devas.
There could be a creation myth in this legend, since as per the panchabhootha creation theories in Hinduism, (celestial) waters separated from fire. Some feel this could even eulogize the eclipse of fire (Sun) hiding in celestial arena and coming out again or sacrificial offering of moon in yagna. The significance of number 3339 and the mention of marriage between Moon and Surya in the Rig Veda also may refer to the celestial eclipses, as per researchers. Incidentally, the number of 'thithis' of moon in a fortnight being 15, the number 3339 refers exactly to a 18 solar year cycle, which may be the time duration between two eclipses of the same kind.
Visve Devas are the 'universal collectivity' of the divine powers; they are called for a general action which supports and completes the functions of the Ashwins and Indra. They are common to all the gods and applied indifferently to any or all of them throughout the Veda. They are fosterers or increasers of man and upholders of his labour and effort in the sacrifice. The fostering or increasing of man in all his substance and possessions, his continual enlargement towards the fullness and richness of the vast Truth-consciousness, the upholding of him in his great struggle and labour, this is the common preoccupation of the Vedic gods.
Rivers worshipped in Rig Veda
The following rivers have been mentioned in various hymns:
Anitabha, Arjikiya, Asikni, Urnavati, Krumu, Ganga, Gomati, Tristama, Parusni, Marudvridha, Mehatnu, Yamuna, Yavyavati, Rasa, Vitasta, Vipas, Vibali, Sipha, Sutudri, Svetya, Sarayu, Sarasvati, Sindhu, Silamavati, Suvastu, Susoma, Susartu, Apaya and Hariyupiya.
Vedic Teachings & Learnings
The Vedas are further divided into two parts, Karma-Kanda and Jnana-Kanda. Karma Kanda is the section dealing with rituals and prayers while Jnana-Kanda deals only with the metaphysical realities – the nature of world, consciousness (or self) and God known as Brahman in the Vedas.
The Rigveda is an ancient collection of hymns, composed in early Sanskrit, praising various Devas and detailing rituals and customs of the Vedic people. To historians, it constitutes the earliest Indo-Aryan text and reflects the attitudes and customs of that period. A valuable source of linguistic and sociological information. To most Hindus, it is a mystical and often arcane text considered the foundation of Hinduism. To the few Hindus who personally investigate the text out of genuine interest, it is a highly spiritual text with meanings far beyond history, sociology, or ritual.
The Vedas reveal the goals of all human beings, and also the
means to achieve several physical and non-physical goals. The goals of human
beings are called Purushaarthas, they are four in number:
(a) Artha (all forms of security)
(b) Kaama (all forms of comforts and
pleasures)
(c) Dharma (the right means to get artha
and kaama, and also that which gives the eligibility to get Moksha) and
(d) Moksha (Self-knowledge, knowledge of
Ishwara, freedom from rebirth, freedom from sorrow, all this are synonymous
with Moksha).
In its
true sense, Dharma should be the basis for Artha and Kama. If a
man pursues Artha and Kama with Dharma at its core, his
endeavours will not only help him evolve as a responsible human being, but will
inevitably benefit the society at large. Even though one may continue to
seek Artha and Kama with Dharma as
its core to carry on with life, one doesn’t have to be attached with it in any
form.
Basic needs recognised by Vedas through Rituals
It is interesting to note how the ancient seers formatted the contents of the Vedas in line with the basic needs of man, so as to elevate themselves to their highest goals in life. The basic purpose of the Vedic teachings is therefore aimed more at imparting knowledge of the ways and means of achieving these goals.
A similar concept was proposed by Maslow. He described a “hierarchy of needs” model in which he divided human needs into basic (physiological, safety, love, and esteem) and growth needs (cognitive, aesthetics and self-actualization). Although this model is conceptually similar to Purusharthas, there is no concept of attaining Moksha as a human endeavour.
Just like the Maslow’s theory on “Hierarchy of Human Needs”, Vedas have evolved, in ancient times, a theory called “Purushartha”, highlighting the four basic needs in terms of Artha, Kama, Dharma and Moksha. Artha refers to the material wealth and comforts; Kama refers to the desire for love and aesthetic fulfilment; Dharma refers to adopting moral values and righteousness in day-to-day life, including performing one’s duties to those around; and Moksha refers to the highest goal of gaining complete knowledge and attaining spiritual liberation.
Brahmacharya (bachelor life),
Grihastha (Married life, Family, friends and
society at large),
Vanaprastha (retirement from family life and
stay away), and
Sannyasa (complete renunciation)
This concept perfectly falls in line as the man progressively gets satisfied in every stage of life, leading to ultimate realization of life’s purpose.
Vedas, being a means of knowledge, must reveal something. What
is that they reveal? Vedas are full of many practical and moral lessons that
guide us.
Importance of Dhaana-(Charity)
Man's desires are
limitless. Man is attached to things none of which will accompany him when he
dies. He should realise that there is greater joy in giving, than in possession
and accumulation. Renouncing is as essential as acquiring. If there is no
exhalation of breath in the wake of inhalation, man will not able to survive.
Dhaana in the Taittariya Upanishat (Yajurveda) is elucidated
beautifully. We should give to others, indeed, but..
1.
Shraddhaya deyam - one should give with faith and sincerity.
2.
Ashraddhaya deyam - one should never give without faith or sincerity.
3.
Shriya deyam - one should give only good things and in plenty.
4. Hriya deyam - one should give with a sense of shame
and modesty.(Shame, because what we give is really very little. Even if we give
a beggar enough for an year, he’ll be in need after that - and how many more
needy persons exist and will come to exist in the world? Moreover, what we declare as 'ours' is given by the Almighty to us. We’re just passing it on. Hence we should
be modest)
5. Bhiya deyam - one should give with fear, for
we do not know what the consequences will be.
6. Samvidaadeyam - one should give with the knowledge of proper circumstances, time and place - maybe a person is in need, and we cannot give to him publicly and make his pitiable state known to all; we have to give at a time when there is a real need; one should give with the awareness of whether the receiver really deserves it; one should be aware of what the receiver really needs and give with sympathy and empathy; alternately, one should give to the Samvits - knowledgeable people like the Rishis, for our own upliftment.
The concepts of Dharma, as expounded in the Vedas, are based on an intrinsic higher order. They are not only confined to human pursuits but also include the nature in totality. Whenever Artha and Kama gain excessive importance for humans, they knowingly or unknowingly, deviate from the laws of Dharma. This creates conflicts, which are evident both within individuals and in the wider society. It gives rise to passions of greed, desire, jealousy and anger that give rise to all forms of conflicts and social disturbances.
Just as a doctor prescribes different medicines for different people according to their constitution and the nature of their disease, so also Hinduism prescribes different duties for different people. Rules for women are different from the rules for men. The rules for different Varnas and Asramas vary. But, non-violence, truth, non-stealing, cleanliness and control of the senses, are the duties common to all.
Dharma as selfless action:
This comes out in teachings of Karma Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita. It states that one has the ability to choose actions, but the
individual does not govern the results of these actions. There is emphasis
given to selfless action that is not influenced by one's likes and dislikes and
without concern for the outcome. The outcome is then accepted as Prasad (gift from God), whether it is desirable or undesirable. This
allows the individual to focus on action completely, without allowing his mind
to be affected with the anxiety and exhilaration invariably associated with its
consequences. This also allows actualization of one's full potential.
Dharma as universal moral principles:
Compassion and empathy form an extremely important part of Dharma. It comes out in various principles of Dharma. In following Dharma, a number of values and attitudes are listed in the Hindu scriptures as necessary for a human being, for example, absence of conceit, absence of hypocrisy, speaking the truth, harmlessness, accommodation, straightforwardness and compassion for all beings.
Ahimsa (Non violence) is often regarded as an absolute Dharma. The Sanskrit phrase “Ahimsa Paramo Dharma. Dharma himsa tathaiva cha” translates into “Non-violence is the ultimate Dharma. So too is violence in service of Dharma”. In the great epic, Mahabharata, Arjuna's decision to inflict violence on his cousins Kauravas was therefore, in accordance with his Dharma.
Dharma as related to Moksha:
Dharma involves faith in intrinsic intelligence of creation and that the world is not as inert as it apparently appears to be. Following Dharma for a sustained period of time leads to purification of mind that becomes free from strong likes and dislikes. A purified mind can ask fundamental questions of life and is capable of discovering the basis of creation called Brahman in Vedic philosophy. Discovering Brahman as one's own self is Moksha.
The Vedic principles have influenced the Indian psyche for many centuries. These principles have underpinned the socio-cultural-religious framework for the development of individual and social moral principles. The Indian psyche and society is in a phase of rapid evolution. Pursuit of Artha and Kama are overtaking the responsibility of Dharma.
We can summerise the vedic teachings as follows:
Vedic Rules of Life:
1. ahimsa - non-injury
2. satya - truthfulness
3. asteya - non-stealing
4. brahmacharya - divine conduct
5. kshama - patience, forgivenness
6. drithi - steadfastness
7. daya - compassion
8. arjava - honesty
9. mitahara - moderate appetite
10. saucha - purity
Vedic observances:
1. hri - remorse - accept your mistakes and apologise
2. santhosah - contentment
3. dhaana - be generous
4. asthikya - cultivate faith
5. ishvara pujana - worship of the deities
6. shravana - develop interest in hearing the scriptures
7. mathi - cognition
8. vrata - sacred vows
9. japa - holy recitation
10. tapas - practice austerity, serious disciplines
Unique Vedic Thoughts:
- Worship of nature
- Brahmam okate - All are One.
- rebirth through individual's karma
- Worship of women as mothers
- Worship of Mother, father, Guru and God. (There is no greater temple than Mother. There is no greater mantra than the words of Father.)
There is no evidence of any kind of caste system in the Vedas. It began to be visible in late Vedic and post-medic periods, as a fully developed theory in the law book of Manu. Even then, Brahman did not refer to any superior caste but to any learned man or priest. Veda has no general term for social class and the term Varna referred only to colour and not caste.
Vedic Philosophy
What do we mean when we refer to the truth, the Ultimate Truth, as "tattvam"? "Tattvam"means" being TaT". When we speak of enquiry into tattva or instruction in tattva it means enquiring into the nature of the Brahman(or rather Brahmanhood or what is meant by the Brahman.) If the Vedas proclaim the Paramatman as "Tat", that is a distant entity, how does it help us? Actually, it is not so. What is far away is also close by. The Vedas proclaim:"Durat dure antike cha" You look for God thinking him to be far from you. So long as your ignorant (that is without jnana) he is indeed far from you. Even if you look for him all over the world you will not find him. He is in truth with you. "Durat dure antike cha," says the sruti (Farther than the farthest, nearer than the nearest).
Vedas provide us with few practical examples to explain the complex philosophy:
When we look afar at the horizon it seems to be the meeting point of the earth and the sky. Suppose there is a palm-tree there. We imagine that if we go upto the tree we will arrive at the point where the earth and the sky meet. But when we actually arrive at the spot where the tree stands we see that the horizon has receded further. The further we keep going the further the horizon too will recede from us. "We are here under the palm tree but the horizon is still far away. We must also go further to overtake it. "Is it ever possible to overtake the horizon? When we are at a distance from the palm the horizon seems to be near it. But when we came to it the horizon seemed to have moved away further. So where is the horizon? Where you are that is, the horizon. You and the horizon are on the very same spot. What we call "That" the lord who we think is far away, is by your side. No, he is in you. "That thou art," declare the Vedas-He is you. "That you are" (Tat Tvam Asi) is a Vedic mahavakya.
To realise this Truth examine a tamarind seed
germinating. When you split the seed open. you will see a miniature tree in it.
It has in it the potential to grow, to grow big. Such is the case with all
seeds. The mantras have "bijaksaras"(seed letters or rather seed
variables). Like a big tree (potentially) present in a tiny seed, these
syllables contain immeasurable power. If the bijaksara is muttered a hundred
thousand times, with your mind one-pointed, you will have its power within your
grasp.
What we call "this" ("idam") is not without a root or a source. Whatever power there is in the world, whatever intellectual brilliance, whatever skills and talents, all must be present in God in a rudimentary form. The Vedas proclaim, as if with the beat of drums: "All this has not sprung without a root cause, The power that is in the root or seed is the same as the power that pervedes the entire universe. Where is that seed or root? The Self that keeps seeing all from within, what we call "idam" is the root.
When you stand
before a mirror you see your image in it. If you keep four mirrors in a
row you will see a thousand images of yourself. There is one
source for all these images. The one who sees these thousand images is the same
as one who is their source. The one who is within the millions of creatures and
sees all "this" is the Isvara. That which sees is the root of all that
is seen. That root is the eternal knowledge and it is the source of all the
cosmos. Where do you find this knowledge? It is in ‘you’. The infinite,
transcendent knowledge is present partly in you - the whole is present in you
as a part.
Apart from the above philosophical thoughts, Vedas deal with even the family and social life, the royal duties mentioned in them, or poetry, therapeutics or geology or any other sastra are steps leading towards the realisation of the Self.
The Vedas contain stories told to impress on
us the importance of a concept, stories that raise ideas to a higher level. The
injunctions with which these stories are associated must be accepted in full,
but the stories themselves need not be brought into observance.
Vedic
ritualism was regarded as helpful for dealing with worldly concerns, but not of
much use with regard to the understanding of the transcendental. The Vedas were
useful for achieving mundane and heavenly pleasures and overcoming pain and
giving encouragement and support.
In
the process of realising the Supreme, several opponents have to be overcome. Foremost
among these are the six "enemies"--Kama (passion), Krodha (hatred),
Lobha (greed), Moha (delusion), Mada (pride), Maatsaryam (envy). If one manages
to overcome these six enemies, he is confronted with eight forms of pride,
which stand in the way of his spiritual progress. Among these are pride of
wealth, of physical strength, youth, beauty, scholarship, power or penance.
These different forms of pride lead man away from his real goal. Modern man is
filled with one or other of these forms of pride.
It
is the attachment to property or position born out of sense of possessiveness
that is the cause of man's sorrow and unhappiness. Man must strive to get rid
of this feeling of "I" and "mine" to experience enduring happiness.
When everything appears to be going well, man forgets everything including
himself. His ego gets inflated as a result of his achievements and
acquisitions. He should realise that he is only a temporary beneficiary of what
he possesses and has no permanent title to any of them. He should regard power
or position as a moral assignment carrying the obligation to discharge the
duties relating to it. It is only when all actions are done in this spirit of
moral imperative that man can experience genuine happiness and satisfaction.
The
Vedas have laid down the basic regulations for the proper conduct of man. But
these permeated by the five basic vital elements. In the air we breathe, the
water we drink or on the ground we tread on, there are innumerable microbial
organisms which are destroyed. In such a situation, absolute non-violence is
impracticable. What we should try to do is to avoid causing any harm to any
living being consciously and deliberately. This is Ahimsa. To observe this non-
violence you have to cultivate the feeling that the One Supreme dwells in all
beings. With this conviction there will be no tendency to cause harm to anyone.
Degrees
are turning the minds of persons towards wealth and office and not towards God.
Character should be the primary purpose of education. An educated person should
be respected for his conduct and qualities. Neethi (ethics) is of paramount
importance for anyone who calls himself a human being. It comprehends many
qualities. It implies regard for society, reverence for the human personality,
love for one's country, care for one's physical well-being; love for one's kith
and kin and yearning for knowledge. These should be regarded as the five
life-breaths for man.
Rig
Veda’s principal teaching is Vinaya and Vidheyata (humility and duty). The
Yajur Veda enjoins the quality of Dharana (steadfastness). This means that
whatever difficulties you may encounter, whatever hardship you experience, you
should fulfill your duty with fortitude and forbearance. Through both these
means you can develop your human qualities to the highest extent. The essential
teaching of the Sama Veda is Vignatha (Propriety). This tells you how to
conduct yourself with any person, how to behave towards elders and superiors,
how to treat guests, how to approach God and what is the right behaviour in any
situation. These three Vedas (Trayee) provide the basic rules for right living:
Vidheyata (Devotion to duty); dharana (steadfastness) and Vignata (Propriety).
The Supreme Love principle integrates all three guidelines laid down by the
Vedas.
The visions of the beauty of life and of natural phenomena are vividly and nicely described and depicted in fine poetry. The imperishable truths, and highly moral and spiritual ideals embodied in the Vedas, have survived in spite of obstacles and vicissitudes, and onslaughts of others and the progress of modern science.
Vedic technology, on the other hand, have found support by these discoveries and wherever there is yet some difference, Vedic views will be found to be correct. Wisdom of the Vedas is relevant for all times. Their beauty and value lie in the eternal truths which are related in them.
Vedas deal with all important matters. Vedas have verses
relating to all aspects of human life and they give guidance on all important
subjects, They also tell the means of attaining salvation, which is the
ultimate aim of human life.
Nature, or Earth, has never been considered a hostile element to be conquered or dominated. In fact, man is forbidden from exploiting nature. He is taught to live in harmony with nature and recognize that divinity prevails in all elements, including plants and animals. The rishis of the past have always had a great respect for nature. Theirs was not a superstitious primitive theology. They perceived that all material manifestations are a shadow of the spiritual.
Marriage Hymns from Rig Veda
(https://ramanuja.org/sri/Web/VedicWeddingCeremony)
Veda mantras or sacred hymns play a key role in every step of the traditional Hindu marriage. The mantras for this ceremony come mostly from the hymns housed in the tenth mandala of the Rig Veda, where Sūrya, the daughter of the sun god, is given in marriage to a bridegroom by the name of Soma. These mantras are mostly from Section 10.85.
Hindu marriage involves several steps, including the following:
Vaak Dhanam: Where both the parties agree orally to the marriage – (Rik 10.32.1 and 10.85.23). The mantra prays to Aryama and Bhaga for a marriage full of harmony. The bride’s father accedes to the request of the elders and resulting in agreement for betrothal.
Kanya Dhaanam: Here, the bridegroom meets his prospective father-in-law. The latter seats him facing the eastern direction and washes the feet of the future son-in-law, considering him as Lord Vishnu Himself. All honours are given including offer of madhu parka (a mixture of yogurt, honey and ghee) to the accompaniment of selected Veda mantras.
Vara Prekshanam: In this ritual, the bridegroom and the bride look at each other formally for the first time. The bride groom recites the mantra (mantra: Rk 10.85.44) and wipes the eyebrows of the bride with a blade of dharbha grass. The dharbha grass is thrown behind the bride at the conclusion of this ceremony to drive away all evils.
Mangala Snaanam: (holy bathing): Five Veda mantras are recited in preparation for the subsequent stages of the marriage. Surya, Varuna, and other gods are invoked to bless the couple in preparation for a harmonious married life. Next, the couple wear the marriage clothes to the accompaniment of additional Veda mantras. The bridegroom then ties a dharbha rope around the waist of the bride and leads her to the place, where the sacred fire is located for conducting the rest of the marriage ceremony. The bride and the groom sit on a new mat and the groom recites three mantras which invoke Soma, Gandharva and Agni to confer strength, beauty, and youth on them.
Mangalya Dharanam: (Tying the knots): The Bridegroom ties the mangalya sutram (auspicious thread) around the bride’s neck, while reciting the following verse:
māngalyaṁ tantunānena mama jīvana hetunā|
kanṭheh badhnami subhage sañjīva śaradaḥ śatam ||
“This is a sacred thread. This is essential for my long life. I tie this around your neck, O maiden having many auspicious attributes! May you live happily for a hundred years with me.”
Pani Grahanam: (Holding the hands): The groom lowers his right palm and encloses it over the right hand of the bride. He covers all the five fingers of the right hand of the bride with his right palm and recites mantras in praise of Bhaga, Aryama, Savita, Indra, Agni, Surya, Vayu and Saraswathi, while holding the bride’s hand. He prays for long life, progeny, prosperity and harmony with the bride during their married life.
Saptha Pathi: (Seven steps): The Bridegroom bends down and holds the right toe of his wife with his right hand and helps her take seven steps around the fire. At the beginning of each step, he recites a Veda mantra to invoke the blessings of Maha Vishnu. Through these seven mantras, he asks Maha Vishnu to follow in the footsteps of his wife and bless her with food, strength, piety, progeny, wealth, comfort and health. At the conclusion of the seven steps, he addresses his wife with a moving statement from the Vedas summarized below:
By taking these seven steps, you have become my dearest friend. I pledge my unfailing loyalty to you.
1. Let us stay together for the rest of our lives.
2. Let us not separate from each other ever.
3. Let us be of one mind in carrying out our responsibilities as householders (gṛhasthas).
4. Let us love and cherish each other and enjoy nourishing food and good health.
5. Let us discharge our prescribed Vedic duties to our elders, ancestors, rishis, creatures, and gods.
6. Let our aspirations be united. I will be the Saaman and may you be the Rk (Saaman here refers to the music and Rk refers to the Vedic text that is being cast into music). Let me be the upper world and let you be the Bhumi or Mother Earth. I will be the Sukla or life force and may you be the bearer of that Sukla. Let me be the mind and let you be the speech.
7. May you follow me to conceive children and gain worldly as well as spiritual wealth. May all auspiciousness come our way.
This series of Veda mantras starting with “sakhā saptapadā bhava…” and ending with “pumse putrāya…” are rich with meaning and imagery.
Pradaana Homam: (Primary Haven): During the conductance of this homam, the bride places her right hand on her husband’s body so that she gets the full benefit of the homam, through symbolic participation. Sixteen mantras are recited to the accompaniment of pouring a spoon of clarified butter into the sacred fire at the end of recitation of each of the mantras. These mantras salute Soma, Gandharva, Agni, Indra, Vayu, the Aswini Devas, Savita, Brihaspati, Viswe Devas and Varuna for blessing the marriage and beseeches them to confer long wedded life, health, wealth, children and freedom from all kinds of worries. One prayer — the sixth mantra — has a sense of humour and provides deep insight into human psychology. The text of this mantra is: “daśāsyaṁ putrān dehi, patim ekādaśaṁ kṛti”. Here, the groom asks Indra to bless the couple with ten children and requests that he be blessed to become the eleventh child of his bride in his old age.
Stepping on the Grinding Stone: The groom lifts bride’s right leg and places it on a flat granite grinding stone and recites a Veda mantra:
May you stand firm like this stone.
May you stand up firm to those who oppose you while you carry out your time-honoured responsibilities as a wife, sanctioned by the Vedas and tradition.
May you develop tolerance to your enemies and put up a fair fight to defend your legitimate rights as the head of the household in a firm manner, equal to the steady strength of this grinding stone.
Laja homam: This is a homam with puffed rice is conducted. Here, the wife cups her hands and the brother of the bride fill the cupped hands with puffed rice and offers his full support for the marriage. The husband adds a drop of ghee to the puffed rice and recites five Veda mantras. At the end of each of the recitation, the puffed rice is thrown into the sacred fire as havis (offering) to Agni. Through these mantras, the wife prays for long life for her husband and for a marriage filled with peace and harmony. At the end of the lāja homam, the husband unties the darbha (grass) belt around the waist of his wife with another mantra. The husband states through this mantra that he unites his wife and ties her now with the bonds of Varuna and invites her to be a full partner in his life to enjoy the blessings of wedded life.
Status of Women during the Vedic Period
Historians consider Vedic period to be a golden age for women. People worshipped various goddesses and considered women in very high esteem. There were many women sages; women were an important part of any sacrifice (a widower is not allowed to perform vedic rituals without his wife), hymns were composed by women, they drove chariots, attended many sabhas and were even able to choose their husband through ‘swayamvara’.
Despite their subordination, women enjoyed a special status, occupied a variety of social spaces, performed different roles, participated in many forums and took active part in matters of importance. In general, the gender relations were excellent, with many cultural, social and political roles assigned to women.
Though socially elite women were recognised, the household was still patriarchal, since most of the functions were taken over by men, including sharing of material wealth, as in many historical societies. Women were controlled through norms of what was considered appropriate behaviour. (Post-vedic times saw a set of structured rules evolving, by which a girl child was to remain under her father's care till marriage, as a woman under her husband's care and later under her son's care during old age).
A woman could remarry if her husband died or left. The women were allowed to choose their husbands. The degree of dominance and subordination during vedic periods was favouring women, compared to the later vedic periods and literature. Polarisation took place post vedic periods.
Rig Veda mentions of many females who could either be an author of a character, such as Aditi, Apala Atreyi, Agnirasi, Indrani, Urvasi, Kasyapi, Ghosa, Sarama, Sachi, Dakshina, Juhu, Ratri, Yami (Sister of Yama), Romasa, Lopamudra, Vak Ambharni, Paulomi, Sasvati, Sraddha, Sarparagjni, Surya Savitri, etc.
Gayatri Mantra & Sandhya Vandhanam
ॐ भूर्भुव॒: सुव॑: । तत्स॑वि॒तुर्वरे॓ण्यं॒ भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑ धीमहि । धियो॒ यो न॑: प्रचो॒दया॓त् ॥
Om bhoor bhuvah suvah, tatsavitur varenyam, bhargo devasya dheemahi,
dhiyo yo nah prachodayat.
We meditate upon the effulgence of that adorable supreme divine reality, the source of the physical, the astral and the heavenly spheres of existence. May that supreme divine being enlighten our intellect, so that we may realise the supreme truth.”
Sage Yagyavalkya says:
“You are called “Gayatree” at dawn, Savitree at mid-day and “Sarasvati” at dusk ” and correspondingly we do the “prata: sandhya”, “maadhyaahnikam” and “saayam Sandhya with salutations to the respective sandhya Devis.
Connecting Micro and Macro
Rig Veda further aims to connect man’s life cycle of ‘birth-ageing-death’ with the cosmic cycles of ‘creation-preservation-destruction’ and proposes a strong theory of rebirth, based on the concept of karmic effects. The individual is deeply connected with the cosmos through the central consciousness or cosmic awareness. Whatever a man thinks gets imprinted in his ‘page’ as an image, by which the seers were able to know the past, present and predict future of that person. Chitra Gupta is the name given to the god who keeps this record of all happenings on earth. ‘Chitra’ means picture or image and ‘Gupta’ refers to the guardian. Is it not similar to the space-time fabric of Einstein?
The Vedas declare that the human body is similar to the body of the Cosmic Self, Purusha, who manifested in creation as the Lord of the Universe. Just as there are four tiers in the universe, there are four planes in a human body. The head represents the sky or the heaven. The trunk including the chest and the stomach represents the mid-region, where breath flows and the heart beats. The hips and the legs represent the mortal world. Just as the gods reside in the macrocosm, they reside in our bodies also in their respective sphere as various organs, namely the organs of action (karmendriyas) such as the five organs of speech, such as hands, feet etc., the organs of perception such as the eye, the ears, the nose, the tongue etc., and the internal organs, namely the mind, the ego and the intelligence. Just as they depend upon our sacrificial offerings in the external world for their nourishment, they depend upon us internally for nourishment through the food we eat. While in the external world, the gods receive their share of offerings from fire who is the first recipient of the offerings in the sacrifices since we pour them into fire only, in the body also the gods receive their offering from the digestive fire which resides in the digestive tract. From there the food is supplied to various divinities through the five breathing channels called Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana and Udana. The Upanishads affirm that just as Vayu rules the mid-region and pervades the earth and the heaven, Prana pervades the whole body and acts as the overlord of the organs.
Research Material in Rig Veda:
Rig Veda throws light on many aspects of life during the Vedic period, which are of high interest to historians in their research works. World-wide there are plenty of research topics based on Rig Vedic culture and civilisation. Given below is just a dozen reference link, for those desirous of such material:
1) Agriculture & Religion in Ancient India - a dissertation by Michael Brattus Jones -
https://www.academia.edu/37785320/JONES_DISSERTATION_2017_pdf?email_work_card=thumbnail
2) Samhita Mantras -
3) India of the Vedic Texts -
https://www.academia.edu/8124527/India_of_the_Vedic_Texts?email_work_card=view-paper
4) Yoga & The Rig Veda - Karrel Werner
5) Bringing the Divine down into Man - Edrisi Fernandes
6) The Origin of Reincarnation in Vedic Literature: Jennifer Uzzell
7) Ancient Indian Astronomy in Vedic Texts -
https://www.academia.edu/29683986/Ancient_Indian_Astronomy_in_Vedic_Texts?email_work_card=view-paper
8) Soma in Rig Veda -
9) List of Vedic Texts and Translation into English, German and French - Kristofer af Edholm
10) Ancient Wisdom of the Vedas - Jos P V Boven -
https://www.academia.edu/30056860/ANCIENT_WISDOM_OF_THE_VEDAS?email_work_card=view-paper
11) The Dawn - From Rig Veda: Joby John
https://www.academia.edu/6391319/THE_DAWN_FROM_RIG_VEDA?email_work_card=view-paper
12) The Culture & Belief in Aryan People - Nikholai Suvorov
Mystics in Vedic Hymns
If someone says that he has read and understood the essence of Vedas, we should rather forgive him for his wrong statement, since even Vedic scholars like Swami Dayananda Sarasvati of the Arya Samaj, Sri Aurobindo, Kavya kantha Ganapati Muni, Sri Anirvan, Swami Veda Bharati and a score of their disciples, have only tried to understand the deeper meaning of the Vedic utterances, with due consideration to the Vedic culture prevailing at that time.
As one might see, it is very difficult to thoroughly understand the real meaning of the verses in archaic and classical language and interpret the symbolic meaning. The thousand heads and eyes refers simply to the innumerable (immeasurable by ten fingers) types of creations that were manifested by Purusha, the Brahman. He sees the world through all His creations. He controls the world through individual consciousness (faces), all hands and legs of all beings created by Him. Thus, it becomes clear that all the world is His playground. His energy, (Prakriti), created food for all on this earth. All His creations are called ”food”, (annamaya), since one is eventually consumed by the other beings. An animal may eat ants but when the animal is dead, the ants eat the animal.
Purusha is said to be in four parts, of which one part is manifested as the universe and the rest is unseen pure consciousness. This is similar to the manifestation of sound as four parts, namely, Para-Vaak, Pasyanti, Madhyama and Vaikari, of which we are able to hear only the last part, Vaikari, which is fully manifested sound. The other three are beyond human range of perception. Creation is said to begin with the seed sound “Ohm”, which further manifested and evolved into gross forms as various material. Rig Veda spells out thus:
“Vak has four feet. Three of them lie hidden in the cave and have no external manifestation. It is the fourth Vak (Cathurthi) that gets articulated through the mouth of man. Flowing from the inaccessible transcendental ocean, Vak is the outflow of divine consciousness in this world.”
Knowing our limitations in understanding the archaic, classical, Sanskrit scripts, it can be seen that the real meaning lies hidden, to be deciphered only by the learned ones.
Our vision is equally limited by visible range and there are higher and lower light frequencies, which we cannot perceive. We are able to perceive only three dimensional objects, whereas there are multi-dimensional beings created by Him, which we are unable to perceive.
This is even symbolically represented by the increasing number of faces in Brahma (four), Shiva & Gayathri Devi (five) and Lord Subrahmanya (Six). Is there a six dimensional existence somewhere? It is therefore mentioned that the entire world visible to us in its full form (Virat form) is just a fraction (quarter ?) of His grandeur and rest of Him is not perceivable. He creates this world again and again, indicating the continuous process of creation and annihilation. Hence, He is called Prajapati, the Lord of all creations.
Many hymns in the Rig Veda pose riddles to the Scientists. After describing the situation before creation began, in verses (10.129.1 to 4), as in Nasadiya Suktam, that nothing was present, Rig Veda continues in verses 10.190.1&2, 1.164.42, 1.2.8 and 1.1.3 that, from severe tapas and yagna, 'Rit' (substances which move) and 'Sat' (gross material) emerged and then day and night were born and oceans of Suns flew out of yagna. Scientista have interpreted this to be the formation of photon (light or day) and Dark matter (night). They interpret yagna to be the high temperature in the core of the galaxies, from within which thousands of Stars and Suns emerged out. Rig Veda further says that Mitra and Varuna combined to become Mitra-Varuna and performed severe yagna. Scientists interpret this as the interaction between electrons and protons to form matter at very high temperatures inside the galactic core.
Scientists further try to interpret from the Vedas, the formation of Suns, Planets and Moons from the galactic core. Rig Veda 1.154.1,2,3, and 4 explain the three steps of Vishnu on Suns, Planets and Moons. The churning of the Milky ocean, from where Amrut was obtained, is interpreted as the force which acted upon the Galactic core, the result of which, the core began to rotate faster and faster till it emitted from its core all the life energies. Rig Veda 1.164.50 says that God extended the yagna with another yagna. This is interpreted as the initial formation of Suns from Galactic core, lead to further formation of Planets and moons from the very high temperatures of the Suns’ core. Rig Veda 10.27.15 talks of seven sons or horses of Sun, which may refer to the seven planets arising from the Sun. Further, 1.164.33 mentions that the Sun is the father and Earth, the mother, of the moon.
The planetary movements around the sun is explained in Rig Veda in 1.164.2 and 11 that the Sun moves around in a chariot of single elliptical wheel, drawn by seven horses, controlled by the Sun. This is interpreted as the seven planets moving around the Sun in elliptical orbits, held together by the Sun’s gravity.
Rig Veda 1.164.11 further describes the wheel to be having twelve spokes, which moves around tirelessly begetting in a year, 720 sons with the earth. This is interpreted as the 12 zodiacs or months in Sun’s orbit, which generates 360 days and 360 nights on Earth, totalling to 720 in a year.
Rig Veda 1.164.40 & 44 state that the Sun gave out barley, grass blades and water. Further 1.64.4 mentions that Maruts originated from Sun by its own force. This is interpreted as the cosmic radiation received from the galaxy in the form of heavy (alpha) particles, light particles leading to formation of water on earth.
Rig Veda 1.164.3 refers to the seven sisters of the Sun moving towards seven cows and illuminating them. This is interpreted as the light energy, with seven colours (VIBGYOR) falling upon the seven planets and illuminating them, which means that the planets are not self-illuminating.
Rig Veda 10.72.8 & 9 says that eight sons of Aditi gained proximity to the Gods. The eight sons were Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Bhag, Daksh, Ansh, Tuvijat and Martand. This is interpreted as referring to the eight elementary particles of space energy (Aditi), viz. electron, proton, neutron, meson (+), meson (o), meson (-), Neutrino and photon respectively. (http://www.dnaofhinduism.com/core-principles/cosmology-chemistry-in-rig-veda)
Rig Veda also mentions about the distance between Sun and the planets to great accuracy. It talks of the speed on light. A hymn in the Rig Veda states "Yojananam Sahastra Dwe Dwe Shate Dwe Cha Yojane Aken Nimishardhena Krammana Namostute", which means "With deep respect, I bow to the Sun, who travels 2,202 yojanas in half a nimesha." From this we can derive the speed of light to be 189,547 miles per second as per Rig Veda. The speed of light as we know now is 300,000 km/sec, which is 186,000miles/sec. A fair estimate, we should say.
Can modern science break through the barriers in de-mystifying the Vedas? Is there a correlation between Vedic thoughts about Creation and scientific thoughts like the Big Bang and Oscillating Universe theories?
Is the Hindu Sanatana Dharma and the impersonal aspects of Brahman and Maya walk hand-in-hand with Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle, according to which nature presents a barrier in our attempts to understand nature?
Would Schrodinger’s works on quantum physics to find the Unified Field Theory or “Theory of Everything” and Edward Witten’s Super String Theory fall in line with the Advaidic philosophy?
Is visible light an ‘energy’ in the form of waves or is it ‘matter’ in the form of Photons? It has already been proved that matter can be converted to energy and vice-versa. This has relevance to the Vedic concept that matter evolved from pure energy in stages, when Supreme Void (Mahasunya) vibrated, emitted sound and then light energy to create vayu (air), then came out Fire, Water and finally solidified as mass (earthly materials).
Vedic cosmology stands certified by the modern scientific findings, as acknowledged by well-known scientists such as Carl Sagan, when he stated that the time scales mentioned in the Vedas agree with modern cosmology.
The earliest references to astronomy are found in Rig-Veda such as the calculation of occurrence of eclipses, calculation of earth’s circumference, theorizing about gravity, determining the number of planets in the solar system, calculating the distance between the planets in terms of 108 times the diameter, calculation of speed of light etc. Mention about the eclipse are found in Rig Veda 5.40.5 and 3.40.9 as follows:
"O Sun, when you are blocked by the one whom you gifted your own light, (moon?), earth gets scared by sudden darkness."
The difficulties in translating Vedic texts arise due to two factors; first, the classical cryptic Sanskrit, with its hidden meanings, is different from the later Sanskrit as a spoken language and secondly, the fact that Vedic poetry is not just poetry of verbal exhibitions and acrobatics in composing various verses, with no responsibility of what is said. Vedic mantras, are holy formulations of eternal Truth. Thus the Veda seems to be indeed a very hard walnut to crack it down and open it up to the eyesight of those uninstructed into its authentic terminologies.
The Aitareya Brahmana of Rig Veda states that the sun never sets nor rises, which indicates that sun is stationary. Yajnavalkya recognized that the earth was round and believed that the sun was the center of the planets as described in the Vedas at the time. His astronomical text Shatapatha Brahmana stated the sun strings these worlds, the earth, the planets, the atmosphere to himself on a thread (may mean the gravitational force).
He recognized that sun was much larger than the earth that would have influenced this early heliocentric concept. He accurately measured the relative distances of the sun and the moon from the earth as 108 times the diameter of these heavenly bodies almost close to the modern measurements of 107.6 for the sun and 110.6 for the moon. (The number 108, same as the number of beads used in Hindu rosaries, is roughly the average distance between the Sun and the Earth in terms of solar diameters. It is also the average distance between the Moon and Earth in terms of lunar diameters).
Incidentally, the Vedic astronomer mathematician Aryabhatta (476-550) in his 'Aryabhattiam' propounded a mathematical model in which the earth was taken to be spinning on its axis and the periods of the planets were given with respect to the stationary sun. He was also the first to discover that the light from the moon and the planets were reflected from the sun and that the planets follow an elliptical orbit around the sun and thus came up with an elliptical model of the planets on which he accurately calculated many astronomical constants such as the times of the solar and lunar eclipses and instantaneous motion of the moon.
Brahma Gupta (598-668) was the head of the astronomical observatory at Ujjain and during his tenure there, he wrote a text on astronomy the Brahmasphuta Siddhanta in 628. Bhaskara the head of the astronomical observatory at Ujjain continued the mathematical tradition of Brahma Gupta. He wrote the Siddhanta-Shiromani which consists of two parts Goladhyaya and Graha-ganita. He also expanded on Aryabhata model in his treatise where he mentioned the law of gravity discovered that the planets do not orbit the sun at uniform velocity and accurately calculated many astronomical constants based on this model such as the solar and lunar eclipses and the velocities and instantaneous motions of the planets. The other important names of historical astronomers are Madhava and Nilakantha Somayaji.
In Ancient India the philosophical schools of Samkhya and Vaisheshika from 6-5th BC developed theories on light. The Vishnu Purana refers to sunlight as the seven rays of the sun.
The absorption of Sun light by the plants to prepare food (photosynthesis?) is also touched upon in one of the Rig Vedic text 1.164.7 as “Let him who truly knows tell the set down track of this pleasant bird; the kine extract milk from his head; clothing themselves in a wrap, they drunk water with their foot.” This is said to refer to the plants extracting food (milk) from Sun (bird), while the plants absorb water through the roots (foot).
The science of medicine in ancient India is known as Ayurveda the science of life or longevity in Sanskrit from ayur (age or life) and veda (knowledge). Ayurveda constitutes ideas about ailments and diseases, their symptoms, diagnosis and cure and relies heavily on herbal medicine including extracts from several plants.
Western Views on Rig Veda
HMV had once published a pamphlet giving the history of gramophone record. Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in the 19th century. Edison, who had invented many other gadgets like electric light and the motion picture camera, had become a legend even in his own time.
When he invented the gramophone record, which could record human voice for posterity, he wanted to record the voice of an eminent scholar on his first piece. For that he chose Prof. Max Muller of England, another great personality of the 19th century. Max Muller who had great respect for Edison asked him to come on a suitable time when most of the scholars of the Europe would be gathering in England.
Accordingly Edison took a ship and went to England. He was introduced to the audience. All cheered Edison’s presence. Later at the request of Edison, Max Muller came on the stage and spoke in front of the instrument. Then Edison went back to his laboratory and by afternoon came back with a disc. He played the gramophone disc from his instrument. The audience was thrilled to hear the voice of Max Muller from the instrument. They were glad that voices of great persons like Max Muller could be stored for the benefit of posterity.
After several rounds of applause and congratulations to Thomas Edison, Max Muller came to the stage and addressed the scholars and asked them, “You heard my original voice in the morning. Then you heard the same voice coming out from this instrument in the afternoon. Do you understand what I said in the morning or what you heard in the afternoon?”
The audience fell silent because they could not understand the language in which Max Muller had spoken. It was ‘Greek and Latin’ to them as they say. It was in a language which the European scholars had never heard.
Max Muller then explained what he had spoken. He said that the language he spoke was Sanskrit and it was the first sloka of Rig Veda, which says “Agni Meele Purohitam”. This was the first recorded public version on the gramophone plate.
अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवं रत्वीजम |
होतारं रत्नधातमम || Rig Veda 1.001.01.
aghnimīḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devaṃ ṛtvījam |
hotāraṃ ratnadhātamam || - (Rig Veda 1.001.01)
The verse means
“Oh Agni, You who gleam in the darkness, to you we come day by day, with devotion and bearing homage. So be of easy access to us, Agni, as a father to his son, abide with us for our well-being. ”
Why did Max Muller choose this? Addressing the audience he said, “Vedas are the oldest text of the human race. And “Agni Meele Purohitam” is the first verse of Rig Veda. In the most primordial time, when the people did not know how even to cover their bodies and lived by hunting and housed in caves, Indians had attained high civilization and they gave the world universal philosophies in the form of the Vedas”
When “Agni Meele Purohitam” was replayed the entire audience stood up in silence as a mark of respect for the ancient Hindu sages. No wonder, India has honoured Max Muller by releasing a postal stamp, though he glorified Veda only later in his life.
Madame M Morrel and Tesla are few other supporters of Indian Metaphysics, especially Prana, Akasha, Kalpa etc, which according to Tesla are the only refuge for modern science to deeply understand and exploit the Universal Energies.
The “eka pada” (one-footed) murti idols found in temples in southern India, namely, Thiruvanaikkaval, Thiruvottiyur, Thiruvidai maruthur and Suruttapalli is understood to represent water molecules (H2O) where two hydrogen molecules (Vishnu and Brahma) are attached to one oxygen (Lord Shiva). The angle extended by both Vishnu and Brahma is said to correspond to the molecular structure of water molecules.
It will be interesting to note that Thiruvanaikkaval is incidentally one of the Panchabhootha sthalam representing water, where “Jalakanteswar” lies immersed in water always. May be some creation aspects are hidden in it. Other Panchabootha sthalams are Chidambaram for Space, Kalahasthi for Air, Thiruvannamalai for Fire and Kanchipuram for Earth.
Scientists have started wondering if the idol of Shiva Lingam represents Nuclear Reactors of the past. Why is the shape similar to a Nuclear reactor world over? Why is Shiva Lingam always quenched with water from a hanging pot? Why is the Lingam adorned with Bilva leaves, which are proven to be resistant to radiation?
When J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the modern atomic bomb was asked to share his feelings on the 1st atomic explosion on July 16, 1945, he cited a line from a Bhagavat Gita:
Bhagavat Gita(XI,12) says:
"divi sūrya-sahasrasya bhaved yugapad utthitā yadi bhāḥ sadṛṥī sā syād bhāsas tasya mahāḥmanaḥ"
Years later he further quoted from Bhagavat Gita and lamented:
"kālo'smi lokakṣayakṛtpravṛddho lokānsamāhartumiha pravṛttaḥ" (XI,32)
‘I have become death, destroyer of world.’ He said that ‘it probably wasn’t the 1st Atomic bomb, but the first atomic bombs in modern time'. Is Oppenheimer pointing towards something else that atomic energy could have already existed?
Whatever said and done, it is clear that the distance between the spiritual thoughts in the form of faith and dogma on the one hand, and scientific principles based on logical reasoning and experiments on the other hand, keep shrinking day by day. A fair number of scientists have found parallels between Hindu philosophies and modern science. The Danish Nuclear Physicist once wrote’ “I go to the Upanishads for an answer”.
Nicola Tesla was a mathematician and a scientists and a philosopher too. He was very much interested in numerology as he thought that numbers held the key to universe. His elaboration of 3, 6 , 9 as key to universe is still researched and followed by many. Though he didn't have any direct knowledge of the Vedas, but it was when he discussed things with Swami Vivekananda that he was amazed that how accurate and scientific Indian texts Vedas are. Here is something which he said after discussions and letters exchanges from Vivekananada.
In our quest for finding the Truth, we are on the track of striking a balance and harmonize religion and science. Are we moving towards a new normal, a Spiritual Science era?
Will Einstein's formula, “e=mc2” be replaced by: “Ohm=mc2” ?
Renowned Thinkers Who Appreciated the Vedic Literatures:
Although early indologists, in their missionary zeal, widely vilified the Vedas as primitive mythology, many of the worlds greatest thinkers admired the Vedas as great repositories of advanced knowledge and high thinking
Arthur Schopenhauer, the famed German philosopher and writer, wrote that: I "...encounter [in the Vedas] deep, original, lofty thoughts... suffused with a high and holy seriousness."
The well-known early American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, read the Vedas daily. Emerson wrote: "I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavat-Gita"
Henry David Thoreau said: "In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita... in comparison with which... our modern world and its literature seems puny and trivial."
So great were Emerson and Thoreau's appreciation of Vedantic literatures that they became known as the American transcendentalists. Their writings contain many thoughts from Vedic Philosophy.
Other famous personalities who spoke of the greatness of the Vedas were: Alfred North Whitehead (British mathematician, logician and philosopher), who stated that: "Vedanta is the most impressive metaphysics the human mind has conceived."
Lin Yutang, Chinese scholar and author, wrote that: "India was China's teacher in trigonometry, quadratic equations, grammar, phonetics... " and so forth.
Francois Voltaire stated: "... everything has come down to us from the banks of the Ganges."
French astronomer Jean-Claude Bailly corroborated the antiquity and accuracy of the Vedic astronomical measurements as "more ancient than those of the Greeks or Egyptians." And that, "the movements of the stars calculated 4,500 years ago, does not differ by a minute from the tables of today."
From these statements we see that many renowned intellectuals believed that the Vedas provided the origin of scientific thought.
Western Authors on topics of Veda, to mention a few:
During the course of time, study of the Vedic and associated literary heritage has been attained focus of the scholars and exemplary work has been done in Vedic studies by both the Indian and Western scholars in some of the Indian and foreign universities and research institutions. Study of the Vedas comes under several academic disciplines, including Department of Classical Studies, Comparative Philology, Oriental Studies, Asian Studies and South Asian Studies in the countries like Argentina, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Britain, France, Japan, Poland, Russia, United States, Thailand etc.
History will ever remember the contribution of some of the western scholars in the areas of Vedic and Classical Sanskrit Studies, such as Paul-Émile Dumont, (Baltimore), Paul Tedesco (Yale), Mark J. Dresden, Paul Thieme (Yale), Hartmut Scharfe (UCLA), Barend van Nooten (Berkeley),and later on J. Frits Staal (Berkeley), Hanns-Peter Schmidt, (UCLA), and Michael Witzel (Harvard), Fernando Tola and Carmen, Otto Böthlingk, Jakob Wackernagel, Friedrich Stenzler, Friedrich Maxmuller, H.H. Wilson, W.H. Whitney, Ralph T.H. Griffith, Gerhard Oberhammer, Ernst Steinkellner, Walter Ruben and Frank-Richard Hamm.
Myths & Riddles in Rig Veda
"The Rig Veda is composed in a language so distant even from classical Sanskrit, that it is difficult to crack its forms and codes....It turns out to be a large puzzle consisting of different puzzles."
The Vedic Samhitas consist of mantras praising various gods. But in the course of praising the gods, they certainly allude to various stories. These stories were further elaborated in the respective Upanishads and later in Puranas.
Vedic Rishis were fond of Riddles.
There are references to many kings (raja) and to their poet-priests (rishi). In the Rig Veda, we hear of how King Sudas, son of Divodasa, of the Bharata tribe, chooses Vasistha as his poet-priest angering Vishwamitra who raises a confederacy of ten tribes, including the Puru, the Anu, the Druhyu, the Yadu and the Turvasu. In the battle that follows, Sudas is victorious. As per historians, following this victory, the Bharata tribe consolidated its hold of Kurukshetra (Haryana) and sponsored the final compilation of the Rig Veda in its current form, with the last verse of the collection asking enemies to give up their differences and come together in collaboration.
Other stories in Rig Veda include the story of Saint Agastya and Lopamudra in Mandala-1. Once Agastya wanted to help his ancestors to attain mukti by performing shraardha; but the requirement for this would be getting married and begetting a son. Agastya married Lopamudra and led a family life for some time, before getting back as an ascetic.
Mandala-8 contains the story of Urvasi and Pururava, detailing how she married him and later left him for heaven.
Over half the Vedic hymns and stories are dedicated to Indra, Agni, Varuna and Soma. Stories on the mysterious and fearsome Rudra and of Indra’s younger brother, Vishnu, who takes three steps across the universe are depicted. Then there is the story of Indra and the Serpent Vritra, the story of Indra seeking the backbone of Sage Dachichi to produce the heavenly thunderbolt weapon, Vajrayutha, to destroy the Asura Snake Vritra; when finally Indra kills the serpent using the thunderbolt and releases all the rivers kept in captivity. Indra thus becomes the deity of rains.
Hindu mythology includes several different accounts of the beginning of things, but in each version, the act of creation is really an act of arranging, producing order from chaos. Vedic texts tell of the sacrifice of a primal being called Purusha, whose cut-up body becomes all the elements of the universe.
The Eclipses are explained in Vedic mythologies as a story of demons trying to eat up the Sun and the Moon. Raghu and Kethu the twin demons are known to swallow the Sun and Moon during the Solar/Lunar eclipses due to an earlier quarrel in sharing Amruth from the churning of Milky ocean. These two demons are later identified with the ascending and descending nodes, and are considered in Hindu mythology as the shadow planets (Chaya grahas).
Then there is the story of Druva on how he became a the Pole star., who imprisoned all the rivers in the world. Indra finally conquered Vritra and released all the waters.
Vedic Imagery & Symbolism
The central conception of the Veda is the conquest of the Truth out of the darkness of Ignorance and by the conquest of the Truth the conquest also of Immortality.
Vedic Rishis were not mere advocates of religion and nature, but had their psychological ideas and were capable of creating mythological symbols which represent not only those obvious operations of physical Nature, but also the inner operations of the mind and soul.
Let us note that since the wine and the clarified butter are symbolic, the sacrifice also must be symbolic. In such hymns the ritualistic veil so elaborately woven by the Vedic mystics vanishes like a dissolving mist before our eyes and there emerges the Vedantic truth, the secret of the Veda.
One may doubt whether Agni is anything more than the personification of the sacrificial Fire or of the physical principle of Light and Heat in things, or
Indra anything more than the god of the sky and the rain or of physical Light, or
Vayu anything more than the divinity in the Wind and Air or at most of the physical
Life-breath or
Varuna is not merely a Vedic Uranus or Neptune, but a god with great and important moral functions.
Vritra, the snake and Vala, the Asura, are the symbolisms of the struggle between spiritual powers of Light and Darkness, Truth and Falsehood, Knowledge and Ignorance, Death and Immortality.
The Angiras Rishis are bringers of the Dawn, rescuers of the Sun out of the darkness, but this Dawn, Sun, Darkness are figures used with a spiritual significance.
The 'sacrifice' refers to the giving by man of what he possesses in his being to the higher or divine nature and its fruit is the farther enrichment of his manhood by the lavish bounty of the gods, the spiritual riches. The principal features of sacrifice are the kindling of the divine flame, the offering of the ghrita (clarified butter) and the Soma wine and the chanting of the sacred word.
The shining holy Cow, in Rig Veda, is symbolic of the higher divine Mother, Aditi. The object of sacrifice is to win Her grace.
Ghrita, the ghee or clarified butter, which is obtained from the holy Cow, is symbolic of the clarity or brightness of the solar light.
The Soma is symbolic of the immortal delight of existence secret in the waters and the plant and pressed out for drinking by gods and men. The word is the inspired speech expressing the thought-illumination of the Truth, which rises out of the soul, formed in the heart, shaped by the mind.
Agni, Indra, Brihaspati, Soma are all described as winners of the herds of the Sun and destroyers of the Dasyus, who conceal and withhold the complete spiritual wealth, the main object of the sacrifice, from man.
Saraswati, who is the stream of the Word or inspiration of the Truth, is also a Dasyu-slayer and winner of the shining herds; and they are discovered by Sarama, forerunner of Indra, who is a solar or dawn goddess and seems to symbolise the intuitive power of the Truth.
Usha is the divine Dawn, the Truth itself, for the Sun that arises by her coming is the Sun of the superconscient Truth. The stories of the shining cows and horses stolen and concealed by the demons, the Lord of darkness, and their release by Usha only symbolically denote the removal of ignorance through true knowledge. Similar is the story of release of Sun (Truth) by Indra and Angirasa from the cave of Panis. The Dasyus are powers of darkness and ignorance who oppose the seeker of truth and immortality.
Similarly if these Dasyus who refuse the gift and the sacrifice, and hate the Word and the gods and with whom the gods are constantly at war, these Vritras, Panis and others, are not human enemies but powers of darkness, falsehood and evil, then the whole idea of the Aryan wars and kings and nations begins to take upon itself the aspect of spiritual symbol and apologue.
It is beyond doubt that the word 'go' is used in the Veda in the double sense of Cow and Light; the Cow is the outer symbol, the inner meaning is the Light. The figure of the cows stolen and hidden by the Panis is constant in the Veda.
The sea of the superconscient is the goal of the rivers of clarity, of the honeyed wave, as the sea of the subconscient in the heart within is their place of rising. This upper sea is spoken of as the Sindhu, a word which may mean either river or ocean;
but in this hymn it clearly means ocean.
This Vedic imagery throws a clear light on the similar symbolic images of the Puranas, especially on the famous symbol of Vishnu sleeping after the pralaya on the folds of the snake Ananta upon the ocean of sweet milk. The name Ananta, means the Infinite; therefore they have told us plainly enough that the image is an allegory and that Vishnu, the all-pervading Deity, sleeps in the periods of non-creation on the coils of the Infinite. As for the ocean, the Vedic imagery shows us that it must be the ocean of eternal existence and an ocean of absolute sweetness, of pure Bliss. For the sweet milk (itself a Vedic image) has, evidently, a sense not essentially different from the madhu, honey or sweetness the mystical, the spiritual, the psychological character of the burden of the Veda reveals itself not under the surface, not behind a veil of mere ritualism, but openly, insistently, in a disguise indeed, but a disguise that is transparent, so that the secret truth of the Veda appears here, like the rivers of Vishwamitra’s hymn, “neither veiled nor naked.”
Conclusion
The Vedas were written to preserve the details of different traditions, sacrificial uses, ritualistic practices, ceremonies, and philosophical thoughts. It was meant to teach and be referred to in external practices. Upanishads are the written form of philosophical thoughts from a variety of men and women, focussed mainly on spiritual enlightenment, and to disavow the individual’s identification with the physical body.
The moral structure of our society is at an interesting crossroad. Prosperity has given rise to greed and corruption. Reminding oneself of our glorious past and enriching scriptures and understanding their essence can bring back the necessary balance for us to develop and evolve into mature beings. This would not only benefit the Indian society but also the world at large.
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu |
sarva mangaḷāni santu ||
Let all people on earth be happy and peaceful. Let all good things be bestowed upon all.
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