request: inspirational passages from the vedas

[Guest guest]

Dear SrIMan Prsad Nair:

 

Your selection is an excellent one and that of SrIman KrishNaswamy

and SrIman Sudarshan from TaittirIya Upanishad

 

At the first pass , I did not get the context from

SrIman Narendran's mail .

 

Here are some more appropriate pasages .

Even if the occasion has come and gone , we can use it

always for "convocations" and "graduations" and our own

reflections :

 

The first Manthram of IsAvAsyOpanishad:

 

Isaa vAsyam idham Sarvam yathkimccha jagathyAm Jagath

tEna thyakthEna buunhITA maagrudha: kasyasvith-dhanam

 

" All this whatsoever is changable in this world is

pervaded by the Lord. Enjoy with a sense of detatchment.

Do not covet anybody's wealth ".

 

Above is Dr.N.S.AnantharangAchArya Swamy's translation .

 

" idham sarvam " denotes all sentient and insentient other than

the Lord ( Supreme Being ).The indwellership of the Lord in

all created beings and things is alluded to here .This manthram

teaches the aspirant a life of dispassion , while going about

observing prescribed duties and required obligations .

 

The 18th Manthram of IsAvAsyOpanishad is again another

moving prayer adressed to Agni ( the Supreme Lord having

Agni as His body ):

 

AgnE naya supaTA raayE asmAn

visvAni dEva vayunAni vidhvAn

yuyOdhyasmajjuhurANAmEnO

bhUyishtAm tE nama ukthim vidhEma

 

(Meaning): " OAgni ( the Supreme who has Agni

as His body ) lead us through an auspicious path to

wealth. O God , Thou who art the knower of all

knowledge , releive us from the crooked sins . We offer

Thee many words of salutation with the word "nama: " .

 

Above is Dr.NSA Swamy'ds translation .

 

Here the prayer is to attainment of riches (wealth)

" useful for maintenance of the body for the sake of

knowledge and divine service" . Service to fellow beings

could also be included. The word "Nama: " refers to

self-surrender at the feet of the Supreme Being (SaraNAgathy).

 

Prayer for wealth of the right kind to carry on

the service to fellow human brings and the Lord is

very common in the VedAs:

 

ithO vaa sathimeemahE divO vaa PaarTivAdhadhi

Indhram mahO va: rajasa:

--Rg Vedam: I.6.10

 

(Meaning ): " We invoke the resplendent Lord , whether

He comes from this earthly region , or from the heaven above or

from the vast firmament , that He may give us wealth ".

 

This is Vedic Materialism which on practise

elevates one to higher and higher levels of

spiritualism and mysticism.

 

The message of the VedAs goes beyond the narrow

confines of a group or a nation . The Yajur Veda Manthram

addresses the expectaions and longings of a nation and

considered as " the best (inter) national anthems "

( Yajur Veda: XXII.22):

 

The key passages here are:

 

" Oh Supreme Lord ! May there be born in the nation,

the learned scholars illustrious for their sacred knowledge ,

---heroic , skilled warriors, ---illustious ladies , --

May we have timely rain according to our needs and desires ;

--May acquisiton (yOga) and preservation (KshEma) of

property be secured to us ".

 

The other Veda Manthrams for reflection are:

 

Bhadhram karNEbhi: sruNuyAma

dEvA bhadhram pasyEma akshibhir-yajathrA:

--Rig Vedam: I.89.8

 

Oh Lord and leaned scholars ! Let us hear with our ears

what is bhadhra( good and auspicious) ; let us see with our

eyes what is good and benovolent .

 

The Vedic ethics (virtues ) are Sathyam ( truth) ,

nonviolence (ahimsa) , austerity ( tapas) , dhama (self-control) ,

Sama ( Tranquility) , SvAdhyAya-pravachana ( study and teaching ) ,

Rutha ( right and real, religious rite ) , sraddhA ( capability to accept

and adopt sathyam for life), brotherhood (universal friendship)

and wisdom (mEdha) .

 

VedAs have inspired great ones from time immemorial

in a spirit of study and learning to develop "positive sciences"

and made this world a worthwhile place to live with vigor

and purposefulness serving fellow human beings and all of

Lord's creations .

 

NamO Veda PurushAya ,

V.Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

-

"Prasad Nair" <pnair

"Sadagopan" <sgopan

Cc: <oppiliappan>; <>;

<tiruvenkatam>

Thursday, June 03, 2004 11:33 PM

Re: Re: [t'venkatam] request: inspirational passages

from the vedas

 

 

> Samgachhathwam, samvadathvam, sayo manamsi janatham,

> devabhagam yatha poorve, samjananamupasathe - Rig Veda

>

> Let us march together, let us communicate flawlessly with each other, not

> just the physical proximity, but let there be union of minds, like the

> Devas come together to do great things, let us all come together to work

> for great things.

>

> Prasad

>

>

>