What's in a name, anyway! Vedas symbolized as Cow!

[Guest guest]

thanx dear one! How divine !

 

THERE IS A VERSE IN BRIHADARAYAKA UPANISHAD WHICH GOES LIKE THIS !

 

THE VEDA SYMBOLISED AS A COW

 

vacam dhenum upasita tasyas catvarah stanah; svaha-kayo vasat-karo

hanta-karah svadha-karah; tasyai dvau stanau deva upajivanti, svaha-

karam ca, vasat-karam ca; hanta-karam manusyah, svadha-karam

pitarah. tasyah prana rsabhah, mano vatsah.

Verse with diacritical marks.

Now the Upanishad goes to another kind of meditation, the

meditation which requires the identification of the Veda with a

cow. 'The Veda is like a cow', says this Upanishad. What is this

cow? The cow has four udders, or nipples through which the milk

oozes out. Likewise is the Veda with four nipples. It exudes milk,

the milk of knowledge, just as the milk of nourishment is given by

the cow through its nipples. This is a symbol. If you cannot think

of anything abstract, you can think of your own cow and compare its

function of secreting milk with the capacity of the Veda to secrete

knowledge. Vacam dhenum upasita: The 'Veda is to be meditated upon

as the cow'. Tasyas catvarah stanah: 'There are four nipples for the

Veda, like those of the cow'.

 

Svaha-karo vasat-karo hanta-karah svadha-karah: These are all

peculiarities of the application of Vedic Mantras in sacrifices.

When a Mantra is chanted in a particular sacrifice, it is concluded

with a particular colophon. This colophon, or completing part of the

Mantra is fourfold. Svaha, Vasat, Hanta and Svadha - these are the

ways in which a Mantra is concluded when it is utilised for the

purpose of offering oblations in a sacrifice. Indra-e-svah etc.

means, these oblations we give to Indra. According to the nature of

the recipient, the colophon varies. To some it is Svaha, to certain

others it is Svadha, Hanta or Vasat.

 

Tasyai dvau stanau deva upajivanti: 'Two nipples of this cow

are connected with the gods, the celestials in heaven'. Svaha-karam

ca, vasat-karam ca: When any oblation is offered in the sacrifice

towards gods, then Svaha or Vasat is the word used to complete the

chant of the Mantra in the sacrifice. So, 'Svaha and Vasat are the

two nipples of the cow of the Veda which have correspondence with

the gods in heaven', in paradise. Hanta-karam manusyah: 'But, when

an offering is made to a human being, the word Svaha or Svadha is

not used. What is uttered is Hanta'. You offer anything to a human

being by recitation of a particular Mantra. For instance, when a

sacred offering is given to a guest, a particular chant is taken

resort to and it concludes with Hanta. It implies a sentiment of

sympathy or readiness to serve or to give hospitality to people who

have come as guests - hanta-karam manusyah. Svadha-karam pitarah:

But if you offer any oblation to the ancestors, the forefathers, not

to the gods, not to the human beings, then the Mantra ends with

Svadha. So, 'Svadha is the term used for Pitrs'. All the Mantras in

the Veda are of this kind. Either they are used for offering to

Pitrs, to human beings or to the gods. So, these four ways of chant

endings are like the four nipples of the cow of this great reservoir

of wisdom which is the Veda.

 

Tasyah prana rsabhah: The cow is associated with a bull. The

bull is always with the cow and cow is with the bull. So, this cow

has a bull with it, and 'this bull is the Prana'. Just as the ox, or

the bull is responsible in some way for the secretion of milk from

the cow, Prana is responsible for the chant of the Mantra. It is the

Prana that actually comes in the form of the chant. If the Prana is

not to operate there will be no chant of the Veda. So, in certain

parts of this Upanishad we have been already told that Veda is

nothing but Prana manifest in some form. A particular modulation of

the voice is the Veda, and what is modulation of the voice but a

particular manifestation of Prana itself. So, you can say that it is

the Prana that vibrates through the Mantra of the Veda. The force of

the Mantra is nothing but the force of the Prana, ultimately. Hence

the bull of the Veda is Prana and the Veda-cow is taken care of,

protected and enabled to secrete the wisdom or the Vedic knowledge

by its very presence. Mano vatsah: 'The calf is the mind'. If the

calf is not there, the cow will not yield milk. It will give a kick.

What is this cow? The Veda is the cow. Who is the bull? The Prana is

the bull. Which is the calf? The mind is the calf. Just as the

connection of the calf with the udder of the cow becomes responsible

for the secretion of the milk through the udder, so the thought

generated in the mind at the time of the chant of the Mantras of the

Veda becomes responsible for the manifestation of knowledge. If the

mind is absent, knowledge will not manifest itself in spite of the

chant. So, this is a beautiful combination for the purpose of

contemplation. The bull, the cow and the calf, the Prana, the Veda

and the mind - these three have to be combined in a blend as one

organic force for the purpose of the realisation that we expect

through these processes of contemplation.

 

As we have already observed, these are methods of meditation.

These are symbols. They do not represent in themselves the goal that

is aspired for through meditation. Just as the road is not the

destination, the symbol is not the goal. But the road is necessary

to reach the destination. Likewise, the symbol is necessary to drive

the mind along this path of contemplation to the realisation of the

ultimate goal.

 

SWAMI KRISHNANADA of divine life society!

 

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Shastriji was right on target when he discussed about the glories of

the vedas and the Cow!

 

thanx shastriji, you bring out the divine in all of us!

 

Om shanti! Shanti! Shantihi!

 

In advaitin , " jannagraj " <jannagraj wrote:

>

> Dear Smt. Bhaginiji: In the light of your comments, the following

> sloka from Gita Dhyanam is very appropriate:

>

>