Hinduism - 6

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6. Preservation of the Vedas

 

All of us take care to keep our bodies and our clothes clean. But do we bestow

any attention on our inner or mental cleanliness? Inner impurity is the result

of desire, anger, and fear. It is common knowledge that when one is in the

presence of one's mother, one keeps all evil thoughts under control. Similarly,

in the presence of the Divine Mother, we can control our evil thoughts. We can

cleanse our hearts only by the Dhyana-thirtha (holy water of meditation) of the

Divine Mother. When the heart is so cleansed, it will learn to distinguish the

real from the unreal, which will result in the end of births. A day spent

without a conscious attempt to clean one's heart, is a day wasted. Impurity of

cloth or body will lead to diseases which will last only for one life-time. But

impurity of heart will lead to diseases which will afflict the soul for several

births.

 

God or Paramatma is only one, and we worship that God as Father, Mother or

Teacher of the Universe. The Vedic religion, which is popularly known as Hindu

religion, emphasizes this fact. God in the form of Divine Mother is a

personification of kindness and love and he who worships at Her divine feet will

secure mental peace quickly. Desires only increase by fulfillment. Desires can

be overcome by Santhi and mental discipline.

 

Let us surrender ourselves at the holy feet of the Divine Mother and

purify ourselves with her Dhyana-thirtha, and thus free ourselves from

desires, diseases and births.

 

There are two main sects among Christians. But the name of the God and

the Holy Book of the Christian religion are common to both. The same is the case

with the Muslims. So far as the Hindus are concerned, there are apparently two

Gods and two Holy Books, according to whether one is a Saivite or a Vaishnavite

– the Tirumarai and the Prabandham. But the basis for both Saivism and

Vaishnavism is the Vedas, and according to the Vedas, there is only one God, the

God about Whom the Vedas sing. If we had been classified as Saivites,

Vaishnavites, and so on, the whole country would have been balkanised. We

should, therefore, bear in mind the fact the Vedas form the basis for our

religion and that there is only one God. Failure to realise this fact will only

lead to the weakening, and finally the disintegration, of Hindu society.

 

This takes us to the question of preserving the Vedas in their pristine purity.

The Vedas are not preserved in writing and the Tamil term marai (hidden) for the

Vedas is very appropriate. The Vedas are like the roots of a tree. The different

sects are like its flowers and fruits, all deriving their sustenance from the

roots. Fortunately, we have the good tradition of the Vedas and the Vedangas

being handed down from generation to generation by word of mouth, and happily

for the entire world, the Vedas have been preserved in their pristine purity,

especially in the South.

 

The importance of Sanskrit is due to the fact that it is the language of the

Vedas. There is evidence to prove the influence of Sanskrit in

Far-Eastern countries like Indonesia and even in places like Persia. It once

occupied the place of an international language. The Vedas must be preserved in

the Sanskrit language and not in translation, because the spirit will get

diluted in the process of translation. Though there may be translations, a

reference to the original will become necessary, when difficulty arises in

interpretation. We can trace the basis for all religions to the Vedas. For the

preservation of Vedas, it is necessary that some people devote their entire time

for Vedic study. That is how the Vedas were preserved in the past and were

handed down to succeeding generations by oral transmission. A community will

cease to exist the moment it loses sight of its purpose in society. The purpose

of the Brahmin community is to learn, preserve and hand over to posterity, the

Vedas and the Vedangas.