Vedas

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Following lines are from a soon-to-be-published book

on Vedas:

 

CATEGORIES OF THE VEDAS

 

"Samhitäs of RgVeda, YajurVeda and SämaVeda are most original, most authentic

and most ancient in the whole Vedic literature. It is most authentic because the

Mantras of the Samhitäs are considered to be derived from the Supreme space of

consciousness. Those which are supposed to be derived from supreme space of

consciousness are considered as more authentic than those of human authorship."

 

According to the RgVeda samhitä its Mantras are considered to be derived from

supreme space of consciousness. In the RgVeda samhitä, there is mention of

YajurVeda samhitä and SämaVeda samhitä also.

 

Thus they are also considered to be most authentic and evidential. Therefore the

samhitäs of RgVeda, YajurVeda and SämaVeda are considered as the impersonal

wisdom (apaurusheya).

 

Samhitäs are the collection of Mantras. These Mantras neither narrate stories

nor prescribe rituals. Their subject matter is the description of concepts. The

Samhitä speaks of the subtle concepts of cognition which are very much useful in

the mundane and spiritual life.

 

Brämhaëas are the texts composed in later ages, compared to Samhitäs, to explain

the application of the samhitäs in rituals and day to day culture. To simplify

the samhitäs, composers of Brämhaëas

adopted several techniques. The composers of Brämhaëas of the Vedic literature

tried to simplify the Samhitäs, by prescribing various rites, narrating myths

and describing values.

 

The scriptural evidence of impersonality of Brämhaëa texts is neither found in

samhitä nor in Brämhaëa texts and yet it is a matter of belief in the tradition.

Thus Samhitäs of RgVeda, YajurVeda and SämaVeda are the most authentic among all

Hindu scriptures as they are considered to be the impersonal wisdom. Therefore

these Samhitäs are the main Vedas for which Brämhaëas become ancillaries.

 

SUBJECT MATTER OF THE VEDAS

 

Subject matter of the Vedas is the description of Devas. Almost all chapters of

the Vedas contain different types of hymns about Devas. It is very important to

know Devas from Vedic point of view. Devas are not mere persons in the Vedas.

Devas are natural elements around us without which we cannot live. This is the

preliminary understanding about Devas. Eg: Vayu is the blowing wind; Agni is the

fire; Varuna is the power in water; Sarasvati, Ganga and Sindhu are rivers;

Indra is thunder and rain; surya is sun and Soma is moon. In this way earth,

space, stars, planets and ocean- everything around us are considered as Devas

without which we cannot live and therefore we are obliged to respect all of

them.

 

Further in the Vedas these Devas are not only perceived as natural elements but

also as natural forces that are dwelling in us without which we cannot live. Eg:

Vayu is the vital energy; Agni is the heat and sound energy; Varuna represents

the energy in all fluids etc

 

In the deeper sense these Devas are perceived and understood as the various

concepts of cognition or cognitive powers. This is because each and every

natural element in the external world has become the symbolic representation or

archetypal expression of the higher and the conceptual and the cognitive world.

This concrete world is nothing but the manifestation of the conceptual and

cognitive world.

 

Eg: Vayu which is blowing wind in the concrete world represents the core Prana

of Psyche and beyond in cognitive world. Agni which is fire in the gross world

represents the burning will of the Divine that dwells in the cognitive realm to

guide the aspirants. Varuna which is the water in gross world, represents the

basic law of universe or the cosmic order in the cognitive realm. Sarasvati and

sindhu which are the rivers in the gross world represent the flow of

inspiration in the cognitive realm. Indra, which is the rain and lightning and

thunder in the gross world, represents cognitive strength and power which

destroys all evil forces of the psyche.

Surya – the Sun in the gross world is nothing but the Self-light or Self- wisdom

itself in the inner world. Soma – the moon in the gross world is nothing but the

aesthetic flow of Bliss and peace. In this way all natural elements and forces

remain the archetypal expressions and symbolic manifestations of the cognitive

forces.

 

OBJECTIVE OF THE VEDAS

 

Understanding the Self as the fundamental Truth of the whole existence and to

live the life with that Self as the fundamental principle, is the objective of

the Vedas. The very nature of this Self is absolute Silence, peace, bliss and

harmony. The Self is pure

conscious Being which is eternal.

 

Form the ocean like silent conscious being, wave like cognitive powers, tides

like natural forces and bubbles like gross manifestations of natural elements

occur. As tides, waves and bubbles are not different from ocean, the Nature –

both internal and external is not different from the conscious Being.

 

THE ISSUE OF LOST VEDAS

 

The problem of losing 99% of our Vedic litreature: We have not lost a single

letter or word of our samhitas. They have preserved and passed on to each

generation in pristine pure form through amazing

techniques like krama, gata, ghana learning methods.

 

What we have majorly lost is the brahmana portion. This is also mentioned by

Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra. But Brahmans were later written by some sages to

simplify samhitas for common man and everyday life.

 

Though it is sad that we have lost a lot of our brahmana portion (brahmanas,

aranyaka,upanishads), we have to remember that they were written for specific

society in specific time. May be in another hundred years, another sage like Sri

Aurobindo or Sri Ramana Maharishi will give us a brahmana for that time.

 

THe core of Vedas, that is Samhitas have been saved and has been passed on to

generations in pristine pure form. One person can be chanting vedas in Guwahati

and another one in Cochin, but both will chant in the same way without any

change.

 

Regarding Vyasa Maharishi, it is just a general belief that he wrote 4 vedas, 18

puranas and some other books. But in samhitas, it is very clearly mentioned

which Rishi or rishika (yes, female sages) got which sukta. So totally some 500

sages (rishis and rishkas

put together) have given us this wonderfull Vedas.

 

Very Important Point: These 500 sages never had any fights among them and all

had same opinions and spiritual practices. They never give these so called

philosophies like advaita, vishistadwaita, dwaita etc etc. They had a very clear

understanding of god, nature and life. They had a harmonious life with each

other, with nature and with the divine itself.

 

All these philosophies were later written by people looking at Vedas partially.

The Vedic sages never said "i am a advati and you are dwaiti, so i won't come

near you and you wont come near me" or "i am a vishistadvatin and you are

advaiti, so we should be seperate" etc.