RigVeda and the Indian Systems of Approach to the One

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Dear List Members,

Here is posting no. 10

Best wishes to all.

-- Himanshu

 

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RigVeda and Indian Systems of Approach to the One :

(notes from selfstudy - svaadhyaaya)

 

X : Mantras Having Seeds of Bhaktimarga, Yogamarga, etc.

 

---- Himanshu B. Dave

 

aham eva svayam ida.m vadaami ju.s.ta.m devebhir uta maanu.sebhi.h |

ya.m kaamaye ta.mtam ugra.m k.r.nomi ta.m brahmaa.na.m tam .r.si.m ta.m

sumedhaam || (5)

 

[RV X-125-5] [X-10-13-5]

 

{I myself declare this which is accepted by both gods and men. Whosoever I

like, I make him formidable, [i make] him a creater, [i make] him a Rishi or

[i make] him highly intelligent.}

 

Vaak says : I am saying myself, i.e., the authority for what I am saying is

me only. Do not search for correctness of what is being said elsewhere, as

I, Vaak, am the authority. This shows what we call self-reference. For a

seeker whose thinking is cleared by meditations (by whatever means), the

answers come from within. Further, this is accepted by both gods, i.e. a

persons higher functions of the brain and men, i.e. the lower functions. A

seeker accepts the answer coming from within at an abstract level and also

at surface level.

Vaak says, a yajamaana whom I like to grace (kaamaye), I make him a

formidable person through his mental abilities, a creative person (like an

artist, musician, author, poet), a visionary Rishi or philosopher, or a

person with brilliant intelligence, who can have contact with the Ultimate

Reality (sumedhaa).

 

yaa devi sarva bhute.shu buddhiruupe.na sa.msthitaa

namastasyai namastasyai namastasyai namo nama.h ||

 

-oOo-

 

In this posting, we shall talk about a few mantras which show a seed of

various paths or approaches to the One supreme being. It may be well known

to the readers of this series that scriptures have shown several approaches

like jnanamarga (path of knowledge), bhaktimarga (path of devotion),

yogamarga (path of meditation), karmamarga (path of actions), etc. All paths

ultimately merge and prepare a person for disolution into the One. There was

some discussion on the Advaita List about whether paths like yoga etc.

really gives a person mok.sa. We shall not enter into the discussion here,

as all paths, till they are paths, are just preparations. The final step has

no path, not even path of knowledge.

 

Possibly an analogy may illustrate the point. (Remember it is an analogy

only, and an analogy has limitations.) Suppose you have kept some clean

water in a vessel for making ice and left it on kitchen table at night. The

temperature at night falls considerably below zero, so you should have ice

in that vessel in the morning. Do you have it? No. Now, assuming that

morning temperature is still below zero, you give a small tap to the vessel

and lo and behold, in front of your eyes the (super-cooled) water turns into

ice. What has happened? (Not in terms of temperature vs. latent energy

diagram, please) A field was well prepared (super-cooled water), but it does

not grow food (no ice). When a seed or trigger (tap on the vessel) is given

the food grows (we have ice).

>From somewhere the trigger, the seed, has to come for the final step. That

is "sruti, not physical hearing, but "Hearing", heard by the aanandamaya

kosha.

 

We are talking here in this posting about the ways of preparation and not

the seed.

 

???............ [RV I-12-14] [i-2-1-14] .............

 

We start with the following mantra from Mandala I, sukta 24, by .r.si

"suna.h"sepa.h :

 

ava te he"do varu.na namobhir ava yaj~nebhir iimahe havirbhi.h |

k.sayann asmabhyam asura pracetaa raajann enaa.msi "si"sratha.h k.rtaani || (14)

[RV I-24-14] [i-6-1-14]

 

{O Varuna! We reduce your anger with namaskars, with yajnas, with oblations

(havi). Remover of misfortune, wise, illustrious, be present amongst us and

dissolve the sins we have committed. (14)}

 

he"da.h -- anger -- varu.na is raajaa, the King, the controller, ii"svara, who

gives rewards for the karma done by a man; to a man who commits

sins, ii"svara seems angry;

namobhi.h -- by namaskaras -- by following the path of devotions; bhakti

marga;

ava iimahe -- [we] reduce, neutralize;

 

yaj~nebhi.h -- by yajnas; by following Karmamarga, the path of actions;

hahirbhi.h -- by oblations; by following the path of Yoga;

 

asura.h -- remover of misfortunes; Sayana explains as

ani.s.tak.sepa.na"siila

derived from the root as = "to throw";

praceta.h -- wise, intelligent;

 

k.sayan asmabhyam raajan -- be present amongst us, in our actions, as the

controller, i.e., may all the Karma that we do be in your

name, for your pleasure, not for myself;

k.taani enaa.msi -- the sins committed;

"si"sratha.h -- dissolve, reduce;

 

This mantra clearly shows seeds for Bhakti, Yoga and Karma marga. It also

has seed for bhagavadgiita.

 

Let us consider next the following mantra from Mandala X, sukta 71, by .r.si

b.rhaspati.h, addressed to j~naanam (Knowledge, with capital K):

 

ime ye naarvaa"n na para"s caranti na braahma.naaso na sutekaraasa.h |

ta ete vaacam abhipadya paapayaa siriis tantra.m tanvate aprajaj~naya.h ||(9)

[RV X-71-9] [X-6-3-9]

 

{Those who are not Brahmana (i.e. composer of Stotras), those who do not go

there (higher levels) or go here (lower levels), those who are not

effusing Soma and who are not with experience, they,

even after obtaining Vaak, due to their foolishness and lowness spread the

unending sequence of [births]. (9)}

 

sutekaraasa.h -- sute + kurvanti = those who effuse [soma], i.e. Yogis, who

achieve bliss via meditation; followers of Yogamarga;

 

braahma.naasa.h -- those who compose brahmana, i.e. visionary stotras,

philosophers, followers of Jnanamarga;

 

na arvaak na para.h caranti -- those who do not follow the path of this

(i.e. this world) Karmamarga, or the path of that

(Sanyaasa, ascetic);

aprajaj~naya.h -- prajaj~naya.h = one who has repeated experience of aatmaa,

aparok.sa anubhava, including a Bhakta; "a" prefix denotes

negation, i.e., not such a person;

te ete -- those men;

vaaca.m abhipadya -- even after having speech, i.e., thinking ability,

learned;

paapayaa -- [with intelligence] leading to sins; due to wrong

method or approach;

sirii.h -- siira.h = plough; becoming users of plough; here it

means one who propagates the race through procreation;

tantra.m -- a thread; a loom; posterity; an uninterrupted series of

something; a scientific work; etc. here it means an

unending cycle of births and deaths;

tanvate -- spreads; extends;

 

9. A total of five paths are given in this mantra : Yogamarga, Jnanamarga or

Vicharamarga, Karmamarga, Sanyasa and Bhakti. Those who do not follow

any of these paths, having not experienced Atma, living just for eating

drinking and procreating, extend the series of births and deaths to an

unending sequence. This happen even if he is learned (vaacam abhipadya)

but not experienced (aprajaj~naya.h).

 

 

Next we consider the following mantra from Mandala VII, sukta 86, by .r.si

vasi.s.tha.h :

 

p.rche tad eno varu.na did.rk.suupo emi cikitu.so vip.rcham |

samaanam in me kavaya"s cid aahur aya.m ha tubhya.m varu.no h.r.niite || (3)

[RV VII-86-3] [VII-5-16-3]

 

{O Varuna! I ask a visionary person, about my faults. I go around to

learned persons, to ask about this. But even poets have been

telling me this only one thing that Varuna is angry with you. (3)}

 

did.rk.su -- one who desires to see clearly; a thinker, visionary; here the

form to be taken is dvitiiyaa (Acc.) of neuter.

cikitu.sa.h -- [to] a learned person; one who observes and enquires;

kavaya.h -- poets, who are able to express abstarct ideas using ordinary

words;

 

3. I have approached three types of thinkers -- those who are visionaries

(mystics, Yogis); those who are learned (philosophers) and those who are

able to express their knowledge (poets). All of them have told me the

same thing that "you have not achieved the Experience".

 

"visionary" represent Yogamarga; "learned" represent Jnanamarga; and

"poets" represent Karmamarga and Bhaktimarga.

 

In fact all the mantras in RigVeda which use the words derived from the root

nam (to offer namaskaar) can be said to denote Bhaktimarga. Also, there are

many mantras expressing love and friendship and comparision with a father,

friend, parents, etc. in relation to some god. All these also can be

considered to be denoting Bhaktimarga. Vaishnavas especially point out

mantras from suktas like [RV I-154].

 

On the other hand, from our past discussions, it is clear that those

following Yogamarga also find considerable support from RigVeda.

 

The path of Knowledge is hidden in RigVeda, but with correct interpretation,

it is evident.

 

Path of Karma requires little comment, as whole of Brahmana literature is

full of the procedures.

 

With that we close this posting.

 

..o bhadra.m no apivaataya mana.h |

 

-- Himanshu

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hari Om Himanshu:

 

Pranams,

 

The points that you have raised in this posting is

quite important and relevant for the seekers. Your

statement, "The final step has no path, not even path

of knowledge" reminds me the famous quotation from

J.Krishnamoorthy: "Truth is a pathless land." It is

very easy to misunderstand JK's statement and

misinterpret him as saying that no path is necessary!

You have correctely observed JK's subtle message with

his true intention.

 

JK just warns us that we can't hang on with anything

how sacred and noble and useful it may be. At the

appropirate time, we should be prepared to give up and

that is 'True Detachment.' When our spiritual progress

reaches that stage, we need no path. Until then we do

need something to hang on to pursue our search.

 

Thanks for your beautiful crystal clear message,

 

regards,

 

Ram Chandran

 

--- "H.B.Dave" <hbd wrote:

> ........

> In this posting, we shall talk about a few mantras

> which show a seed of

> various paths or approaches to the One supreme

> being. It may be well known

> to the readers of this series that scriptures have

> shown several approaches

> like jnanamarga (path of knowledge), bhaktimarga

> (path of devotion),

> yogamarga (path of meditation), karmamarga (path of

> actions), etc. All paths

> ultimately merge and prepare a person for disolution

> into the One. There was

> some discussion on the Advaita List about whether

> paths like yoga etc.

> really gives a person mok.sa. We shall not enter

> into the discussion here,

> as all paths, till they are paths, are just

> preparations. The final step has

> no path, not even path of knowledge.

>...................