The Vedas
and other Scriptural Texts of Ancient India
Swami never commences any function or Divine Discourse
without a chant from the Vedas by His
students. At one time, He even declared that He had come to protect
the Vedas. What are these Vedas?
When did they come into existence? Who wrote them? How many Vedas
are there? What is their special significance if any? This article
attempts an answer to these questions.
Swami says:
The Vedas
are the most ancient amongst the world's scriptures. They are a
vast storehouse of Wisdom. Manu has declared that everything is
derived from the Vedas. The Vedas
are immeasurable, unrivaled and filled with Bliss. The word Veda
is derived from the verb 'Vid' which means 'to know'. Knowledge
of the Supreme is Veda.
The
Vedas are called Apourusheya
i.e., not of human origin and Anaadi
i.e., without a beginning in terms of time. One might wonder: "How
could that be? After all, even the Universe has had a beginning,
and the Rishis who gave us the Vedas
came after Creation. So how could it be claimed that the Vedas
have no beginning?" Interestingly, the answer to all this is
provided by the Vedas themselves in
the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. It is
declared therein that the Vedas are
the Supreme Lord Ishwara's breath. In other words, the Vedas
have always been in coexistence with Him as His very breath. Since
Ishwara is Eternal, so are the Vedas.
And when the Lord created Brahma (Brahma’s purpose is to attend
to the practical details of Creation) as a prelude to full-fledged
creation, He transmitted via His breath the full knowledge of the
Vedas to His son Brahma. Thus Brahma
was the first Being to have the Divine revelation of the Vedas.
Guided by the vibrations he received from Ishwara's
Heart, Brahma then created the Universe.
The vibrations that Brahma received are Cosmic
Vibrations. At the physical level, a common form of vibration is
sound. The Vedic verses one usually
hears chanted are transcriptions
of Cosmic Vibrations into sound vibrations; and in this manner,
we are able to hear and cognize Divine Vibrations. The transcription
into sound just referred to was accomplished through the ages by
a host of unknown Rishis who, while
in deep meditation, established direct rapport with Cosmic Vibrations
during which process the latter became audible to them as sound.
The Rishis committed these to memory
and later passed them on to their disciples, which is how Vedic
Mantras (hymns) were handed down from
generation to generation, long before there was even a written script.
Equally remarkable is the fact that the Rishis
who received the revelations did not claim any authorship nor leave
any trace of their identity. If ever there was any unselfish sharing
of Divine gifts, this was it.
Divine revelations are not all that unusual and
have occurred throughout history to various people in different
places. Indeed even in science, the sudden flash of a discovery
is a revelation of a kind; and all great scientists have had such
experiences - from Archimedes to Einstein. Likewise there are many
examples of revelations to religious prophets. What is unique about
the Vedas is that the hymns that constitute
them not only have a powerful tonal quality but their structure
has defied corruption and mutation through the ages. Whereas languages
evolve with time, including sometimes over short periods, the Vedic
language has remained unchanged over several thousands of years
(during which the revelations occurred) which suggests that in this
case, even the very words came from Brahman
Himself. As Swami says:
The Vedas
took form, only to demonstrate and emphasize the existence of God.
The Veda is the collation of words
that are the Truth, which were visualised by sages who had attained
the capacity to receive them into their enlightened awareness. In
reality, the Word is the very Breath of God, the Supreme Person.
The unique importance of the Veda rests
on this fact.
Thanks to losses of some texts over the ages, the Vedic
Mantras available today are only a fraction of what was once
revealed to the meditating Rishis.
Be that as it may, even what the Rishis
could grasp was but a tiny drop in the limitless ocean that are
the Vedas. A story is sometimes told
to illustrate the limitless nature of the Vedas.
The great Sage Bharadwaja - to whose lineage Swami belongs - was
specially granted three lives to study and absorb the Vedas.
Appreciative of his effort, Lord Siva appeared before the sage and
said: "If I give you another span of life, what would you do
with it?" The Rishi replied that
as in earlier births, he would spend his life in the study of the
Vedas. Siva was pleased but wanted
to impress on the sage that the Vedas
were limitless. So with a wave of His hand, He created several mighty
mountains after which He picked up a handful of mud. Stretching
His hand towards Bharadwaja, Siva said: "What you have so far
studied is equal to this handful of earth. What you have yet to
study is a million times more than these mountains!"
The Vedic Mantras
are the fountain head of ancient Indian scriptures. Scholars usually
classify the scriptures as follows:
Aaranyaka |
|
Aaranyaka |
|
Aaranyaka |
|
Aaranyaka |
Braahmana |
Braahmana |
Braahmana |
Braahmana |
Samhita |
Samhita |
Samhita |
Samhita |
|
Kalpa |
Dharma Saastras |
Jyothisha |
Nirukta |
Puraanas |
Chandas |
Nyaaya |
Vyaakarna |
Siksha |
Meemamsa |
|
Rig |
Saama |
Yajur |
Atharvana |
The different divisions that are illustrated above
are called Vidyas, and there are fourteen
of them - four Vedas, six Vedangas
and four Upangas. Sage Vyasa codified
the Vedas into four groups and thus
came into existence what we now refer to as the Rig,
the Saama, the Yajur
and the Atharva (also called the Atharvana)
Vedas.
The Vedas are also
referred to as Sruti which means ‘that
which is heard’. The real reason for calling them Sruti
is that Cosmic Vibrations which are normally inaudible were heard
by the meditating Rishis of yore as
actual sounds. The sound aspect of the Vedas
is considered very important and great stress is laid on the correct
pronunciation of the words as well as the intonation
during chanting. Elaborate recitation drills were conceived by the
ancients, thanks to which the chanting that is done today is precisely
the same as it was thousands of years ago. Succeeding generations
have worked hard to ensure this purity without recording media,
paper or even a written language. It is doubtful if there are any
other instances of the spoken word which have defied mutation and
corruption over such an extended period of time.
Regarding the spiritual significance of the proper
chanting, the late Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekara
has this to say:
Vedas must be chanted with
grandeur so that the sound can be properly heard. Vedic
Mantras not only produce beneficial vibrations in the pulse
of the one who chants them properly, but also similar vibrations
in those who may hear them. Since it is spread in the atmosphere,
it ensures well-being here and hereafter.... The outstanding feature
of the Vedas lies in the fact that
the sound of the Mantras by itself
when chanted has a meaning, apart from the words themselves, which
too are pregnant with significance.
In each Veda, it is
customary to recognise three portions called the Samhitas,
the Braahmanas and the Aaranyakas.
Samhita means that which has been collected
and arranged. The Samhitas project
the purport of a Veda in the shape
of Mantras suitably organised and structured.
What one normally hears during Vedic
chants is from the Samhita portion.
The Samhitas of all
the four Vedas together contain about
twenty thousand Mantras of which a
little over ten thousand belong to the Rig
Veda Samhita. The Mantra belonging
to the Rig Veda is called Rik/Rk
(a later word for which is Sloka);
a collection of Riks constitutes a
Sookta. However, Sooktas
are not peculiar to the Rig Veda alone
and a few of them are found in the other Vedas
as well. Some Sooktas like the Purusha
Sooktam, Narayana Sooktam, Rudram and Chamakam
are particularly famous and are often to be heard at Prashanti Nilayam.
About the Rig Veda, Swami says:
The very first experience in the history
of Indian thought is the thrill of wonder. This is expressed in
the Rik or hymns found in the Rig
Veda.... The Riks are all about
the gods or the Shining Ones (the Devas).
Of these Devas, there are many: Indra, Varuna, Mitra, Parjanya -
these are the names of a few.
The Mantras of the
Rig Veda are largely devoted to singing
the praise of the Devas (e.g., Agni).
The Yajur Veda on the other hand, is
more concerned with spelling out ritualistic procedures. In fact,
the words Yajur and Yajna
are both derived from the root Yaj
which means worship. Thus the accent in the Yajur
Veda is on worship through austerities, rites and rituals.
Saama means to bring Shanti
or peace to the mind, and the Saama Veda
achieves this by setting Mantras to
music with lengthened tones. Although most of the Mantras
themselves are derived from the Rig Veda,
it is the distinctively lengthened musical intonation that sets
the Saama Veda apart. The uniqueness
of the Saama Veda is proclaimed by
Lord Krishna Himself when He declares that among the Vedas,
He is Saama. Is it any wonder then
that Ravana was able to influence Lord Siva with his singing of
the Saama Veda?
The Atharva Veda is
named after a Rishi of the same name,
who first brought these Mantras to
light. The hymns are intended to ward off evil and hardships, as
also to destroy enemies (not necessarily humans). Swami comments
on this Veda as follows:
Many have described it in diverse ways.
Some have denied it the status of a Veda.
In the other Vedas, the might and the
mystery of the gods are described. But in this Veda,
the possibility of man acquiring certain powers and mysteries by
his own effort and exercises are mentioned. This is its specialty.
Superficially, the four Vedas seem
different but a closer scrutiny would reveal that they all have
the common goal of ensuring well-being. This in fact was the reason
why the kings of yore greatly encouraged the constant chanting of
the Vedas. In the Ramayana
it states that when Hanuman went around Lanka searching for Sita,
he heard the chanting of the Vedas
in some places. Another important point is that none of the Vedas
claim that there is only one way to God. Rather they stress that
any good path followed with faith, sincerity and devotion will lead
one to the ultimate goal. As Swami puts it,
The Vedas
are concerned with and expound the Supreme Person, the Ishwara,
Who created this Universe, Who fosters it, in Whom it merges in
accordance with the process of time, and from Whom again it manifests
as His Form - this amazing Universe.
The Samhita portion
of the Vedas is understandably better
known considering it contains the most popular chants. In a sense,
the Samhitas form the core of the Vedas.
The Braahmanas are texts which serve
as working manuals, spelling out how the rites and rituals ought
to be performed.
Turning next to the Aaranyakas,
the word is derived from Aaranya which
means forest; these texts are therefore sometimes referred to as
‘forest books’, and there is a reason why they are called
this. Neither the Samhitas nor the
Braahmanas enjoin that a person in
pursuit of spiritual development must retire to the forest; rather,
the accent is on serving Society through the chanting of the Vedas
and the performance of the various ordained rituals. However, while
constant chanting and performing rituals no doubt promotes mental
purity (Chitta Suddhi), something quite
different is required for further spiritual progress. That is to
seek the solitude of the forest for meditation and contemplation;
the Aaranyaka texts prove suitable
to this phase of spiritual development. The famous Upanishads
come at the end of the Aaranyakas,
and represent the quintessence of Vedic
knowledge. Commenting on the different roles of Braahmanas
and the Aaranyakas (which essentially
mean the Upanishads), Swami remarks:
The Braahmanas constitute an important
part of the Vedas, and deal with the
correct procedures for performing Yajnas
and Yagas. Being ceremonial rites for
acquiring mundane pleasures, such ceremonies, however, cannot offer
Atmananda or the pure Bliss of the
Atma. They can only enhance sensory
enjoyment and provide epicurean pleasures which are intrinsically
transient. The search for the pure abiding Bliss of the Atma
led the ancient Rishis to the solitude
of the forests.... these sages have communicated the spiritual wisdom
revealed to them through the Upanishads.
Given the above wide spectrum of the scriptural
texts, one sometimes divides them into two broad categories: the
Karma Kanda and the Jnana
Kanda; the former being largely devoted to rituals and the
latter to philosophical knowledge. Coming as they do at the end
of the Vedas, the Upanishads
are also referred to as Vedanta meaning
that which is at the end of the Vedas.
In this sense, Vedanta represents the
end of the quest that a person starts on when he gets initiated
into the Vedas. Understandably, Vedanta
belongs to Jnana Kanda.
Returning to the Samhitas, it turns
out that many types of recitation exist, each belonging to a particular
school. These schools are called Saakhas
or branches. Thus the Vedas stand in
majesty like a vast banyan tree with numerous branches.
We now come to the Vedaangas.
The word Anga means limb or organ.
Thus, Vedaangas are texts which are
like the limbs of the Vedas. The most
important of these is Siksha which
deals with Vedic phonetics. Since syllable
and tonal purity are considered the very breath of the Vedas,
Siksha is regarded as the nose of the Vedas.
Next is Vyaakarana or grammar, which
is considered the mouth of the Vedas.
This is followed by Chandas or metre,
constituting the feet of the Vedas; Nirukta
or etymology (the ear of the Vedas); Jyothisha
or astronomy cum astrology (the eye); and finally, Kalpa
or procedure (the arm).
Vyaakarana, Chandas
and Nirukta one can understand but
how does Jyotisha apply? It turns out
that the ancients of India believed that there was a right time
and place for every spiritual activity, and Jyotisha
came into existence to guide people on how to select the right time;
and it was on account of this guiding role that Jyotisha
came to be regarded as the eyes of the Vedas.
The five Angas which
precede the Kalpa enable the student
of the Veda to become proficient in
faultless pronunciation (through Siksha),
to understand the grammar (via Vyaakarana)
and the metre (through Chandas), and
to comprehend the meanings of rare and uncommon words (through Nirukta).
Having progressed thus far, the Kalpas
then instruct the Vedic aspirant on
the do's and don'ts connected with the numerous rituals.
Related to the ten Vidyas
discussed so far are the Upaangas which
literally means ‘subsidiary limbs’; in the present context,
they mean ‘auxiliary texts’. There are four of them
and they are: Meemamsa, Nyaaya, Puraanas
and the Dharma Saastras. While the
literal meanings of the Vedic Mantras
may be found in the Niruktas, their
purport and significance are detailed in the Meemamsa.
Meemamsa itself is regarded as made of two portions - the
Poorva Meemamsa and the Uttara
Meemamsa. While the former emphasises rituals (i.e., concentrates
on the Karma Kanda portion of the Vedas),
the latter focuses on the importance of Self-realisation (i.e.,
on Jnana). After Meemamsa
comes Nyaaya which deals with the logical
inference of the existence of Brahman.
Unlike these high-flown disciplines, the Puraanas
cater to general tastes, dealing as they do with mythological stories
intended to illustrate the substance of the Vedas.
As the Paramacharya says:
The Puraanas
can be called the 'magnifying glass' of the Vedas
as they magnify small images into big images. The Vedic
injunctions which are contained in the form of pithy statements
are magnified or elaborated in the form of stories or anecdotes
in the Puraanas.
The Puraanas of Bharat
have played an extraordinary role in sustaining spirituality amongst
the common folk throughout the ages. Indeed, it was the Puraanic
story of King Harishchandra which, within living memory, made such
a profound impact on Gandhi that he swore eternal commitment to
Sathya, which in turn made him into
a legend of his own.
Of the fourteen disciplines, the Dharma Shastra
comes last. Commenting on it, the Paramacharya
says
The Puraanas
have Bhakti as their theme. But can
we spend all the twenty-four hours doing Puja,
and singing the praise of the Lord? We have to do our duty to the
family. We have to eat, bathe etc., and attend to personal and bodily
needs. Even to devote the balance of the time to Puja
is not possible. Boredom sets in. We require therefore directions
and guidance to perform our deeds. Where from do we learn these?
From the Dharma Saastra. The Dharma
Saastra tells us what we should do in our daily life, and
how secular life and religious life are not separate. Secularism
is also designed to lead to religion as per Vedic
Dharma. Whatever job is done should be Dharma-orientated
and be a part of the process of evolution of the self.
Dharma Shastra lays
down the code of conduct for man covering all aspects of his life,
the codification having been contributed to by several Rishis
(of whom Manu is the most famous). The Dharma
Saastra is also called Smriti.
A Smriti is an aide-memoire for the
Vedas. All the do's and don'ts are
spelt out in pitiless detail and Manu advises that when in doubt,
one should consult the Smritis. From
the time a Jiva enters a mother's womb,
through birth, growth, marriage, running the household etc., the
Smriti lays down all that has to be
done in minute detail. It is interesting that even today the Smriti
is accepted as an authority in the law courts of India when doubts
on Hindu law arise. Equally noteworthy is the fact that while the
Dharma Shastra lays down a whole spectrum
of guidelines, it persuades rather than compels. Referring to all
these texts, Swami comments:
The Vedas
teach man his duties from birth to death. They describe his rights
and duties, obligations and responsibilities, in all stages of life
- as a student, householder, recluse and monk. In order to make
plain the Vedic dicta and axioms and
enable all to understand the meaning and purpose of the do's and
the don'ts, the Vedaangas, the Puraanas,
and the Epic texts appeared in course of time. Therefore, if man
is eager to grasp his own significance and true Reality, he has
to understand the importance of these later explanatory compositions
also. This is the reason why the ancients taught the Vedaangas
and other related texts, even before the pupils learnt the Vedas.
The scriptural texts of India - the Vedas,
Vedaangas, Upanishads, Smritis, Puraanas and Ithihasas
- are repositories of profound wisdom. Each of them is an ocean
of sweet sustaining milk.
Finally, mention must be made of the Brahma
Sutra. A Sutra is an aphorism
which projects a thought with minimal use of words. The Brahma
Sutra is a text containing the essence of all Upanishadic
teachings in the form of a string of Sutras.
We owe these also to Sage Vyasa. Swami's Sutra
Vahini offers a commentary on the Brahma
Sutra.
The Upanishads, the
Bhagavad Gita and the Brahma
Sutra form a trinity of scriptural texts known as Prasthaana
Trayi (the Three Source Texts). They are entirely consistent
with each other, and in matters philosophical, they are regarded
as the ultimate authority.
We hope that this article has given you a fair
idea about the Vedas and other scriptural
texts. For further enlightenment concerning the Vedas,
see the Leela Kaivalya Vahini and Summer
Showers in Brindavan, 1974,
by Bhagavan Baba. |