The Mystery of Creation and Reality

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An English Translation of the Entire Rig Vedas are available on line at the

Hinduism Magazine’s Site:

http://www.hinduismtoday.kauai.hi.us/books/vedic_experience/VEIndex.html

The Vedas are mankind's oldest scriptures of Hindu Religion , a direct

revelation of God.

The translations to the English Language is done by Professor Raimon Pannikar,

who now lives in a small mountain village in Spain. Himalayan Academy has

been commissioned to publish his 1000-page anthology of the Vedic Experience

in a special edition in the West, while Motilal Banarsidas has produced the

Indian edition. In July of 1995 Professor Pannikar

gave permission for these Vedic verses to be published on the World Wide Web.

All the seven parts of Vedic Experience is available on line at the above

site.

 

 

The Mystery of Creation and Reality

 

A careful reading of Vedas will reveal that Vedas do not represent doctrinal

system but explores the Mystery of Creation with at most care and consistency.

What is Vedic Revelation? Panikar answers the following: “The Vedic Revelation

is not primarily a thematic communication of esoteric facts, although a few of

its sayings, as, for example, certain passages of the Upanisads, disclose some

truth that is unknown to the normal range of human experience. But for the

most part the Vedic Revelation is the discrete illumination of a veil, which

was not seen as a veil but as a layer, one might almost say a skin, of Man

himself. The Vedic Revelation unfolds the process of Man's "becoming

conscious," of discovering himself along with the three worlds and their

mutual relationships. It is not the message of another party speaking through

a medium, but the very illumination of the "medium," itself the progressive

enlightenment of reality. It is not a beam of light coming from a lighthouse

or a powerful reflector; it is dawn. It is the revelation of the Word, of the

primordial Word, of the Word that is not an instrument, or even a sign, as if

it were handling or pointing to something else. It is the revelation of the

Word as symbol, as the sound-and-meaning aspect of reality itself. If there

were somebody who had spoken the Word first, by what other word could he

communicate the meaning of the original to me? I must assume that the Word

speaks directly to me, for the Vedas reveal in an emphatic manner the

character of reality.”

 

Panikar summarizes the mystery of creation using the following verses from Rig

Vedas - Nasadiya Sukta (RV X, 129 )

 

1. At first was neither Being nor Nonbeing.

There was not air nor yet sky beyond.

What was its wrapping? Where? In whose protection?

Was Water there, unfathomable and deep?

 

2. There was no death then, nor yet deathlessness;

of night or day there was not any sign.

The One breathed without breath, by its own impulse.

Other than that was nothing else at all.

 

3. Darkness was there, all wrapped around by darkness,

and all was Water indiscriminate. Then

that which was hidden by the Void, that One, emerging,

stirring, through power of Ardor, came to be.

 

4. In the beginning Love arose,

which was the primal germ cell of the mind.

The Seers, searching in their hearts with wisdom,

discovered the connection of Being in Nonbeing.

 

5. A crosswise line cut Being from Nonbeing.

What was described above it, what below?

Bearers of seed there were and mighty forces,

thrust from below and forward move above.

 

6. Who really knows? Who can presume to tell it?

Whence was it born? Whence issued this creation?

Even the Gods came after its emergence.

Then who can tell from whence it came to be?

 

7. That out of which creation has arisen,

whether it held it firm or it did not,

He who surveys it in the highest heaven,

He surely knows or maybe He does not!

 

To get a glimpse of Rig Vedas, the first and last Mantras are reproduced with

the translation.

 

First Mantra RV I, 1, 1

OM agnim ile purohitam

yajnasya devam rtvijam

hotaram ratnadhatamam

 

I magnify God, the Divine Fire,

the Priest, Minister of the sacrifice,

the Offerer of oblation, supreme Giver of treasure.

 

Last Mantra RV X, 191, 4

samani va akutih samanda hrdayani vah

samanam astu vo mano yatha vah susahasati

 

United your resolve, united your hearts, may your spirits be at one, that you

may long together dwell in unity and concord!

 

The Rig Veda is not the whole shruti, but it contains the central theme with

profound messages and lays the foundations for all the rest.

 

Panikar concludes beautifully with the following sentences: “The last mantra

knows only Man's ordinary language and Man's own cherished ideas; it comes

back to the simplicity of the fact of being human: a union of hearts and a

oneness of spirit, the overcoming of isolating individualism by harmonious

living together, because Man as person is always society and yet not plural.

He is a unity with so many strings that they incur the risk of wars and

strife, but also offer the possibility of a marvelous harmony and concord.”

 

Panikar’s translation is excellent and I hope that everyone is motivated to

find time to read this invaluable treasure which is available free in the

Internet.

 

Aum Tat Sat Aum

 

--

Ram Chandran

Burke, VA