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NO VIOLENCE IN YAJNAS

March 22, 2014 rdhoot 47 Comments

NO VIOLENCE IN YAJNAS

Writer : Pt Dharmadev Vidyamartand

Importance of Yajnas has been stressed in several places in the Vedas. Yajna is even considered a way to Worship and realise God :-

(When truthful and enlightened persons worship God through Yajnas, they attain salvation which is freedom from sorrow.)

The Word “यज्ञ” has its origin in the root (“Yaj”) ”यज” which means :

(1) Worship of God by enlightened persons (Devapuja)

(2) Unity (Sangatikarana)

(3) Charity (Dana)

Thus, “Yajna” epitomises all our duties towards God, to our superiors, equals and inferiors. This is the reason why Yajna is considered the noblest of all human acts. How a man, who does not perform Yajna, goes on degrading himself, is mentioned in Rigveda (l0.94.6)-and Atharvaveda (20.94.6) :

(Those who do not ride the boat of Yajna, become abominable and impure and their character keeps on deteriorating.)

It is matter of great shame that such yajnas, which are the means of worshipping God and attaining salvation, have been misinterpreted and misconceived by our own, medieval masters, no less by western scholars and, their modern followers who assert in their commentaries of the vedas that there are references here to sacriﬁce of sheep, goats, horses, buffaloes in the course of such yajnas.

For instance, one of the contributors to the Vedic Age, writes while discussing Apri Hymns,

“Scarcely less debased than the Dana Stutís are the Apri hymns, manufactured artiﬁcially for employment in animal sacrifices …. . . There is no reason to doubt that these hymns were actually used at the animal sacriﬁces as the tradition maintains”

Another contributor referring to the Kausika Sutra (XIII,I-6) says that it prescribes a magic rite in which portions of the bodies of some animals and human beings, such as of a lion and a tiger, a ksatriya and a Brahmacharin are to be eaten to acquire certain power ; not totemism but same sacramental communion, is hinted at.”

While detailed discussion on this issue will form a huge treatise, it will sufﬁce here to suggest a few points to remove such misconceived notions about the yajnas.

To begin with, we must stress that the word ‘अध्वर’ (Adhvara) occurs as a synonym or as an adjective for “यज्ञ ” (Yajna) at several places in all the four Vedas.

The author of the Nirukta, a book on philology, Yaskaracharya, gives the etymology of the word “Adhvara ” thus :- mantra

(“Adhvara” is the name of Yajna which means free from any violence).

Given below are some of the mantras from all the four Vedas in which the word “Adhvara” has been used in relation to Yajnas :-

RIGVEDA :-

(1)

-Rig. 1.1.4

(Thou, O Lord, art present only in the Yajnas, which are free from violence. Only such Yajnas are acceptable to the truthful learned persons).

(2)

-Rig. 1.1.8

(In this mantra also God’s presence only in violence-free actions is stressed)

(3)

-Rig. 1.14.21

(Using the word “Adhvara” for Yajna, the Wise have been requested to keep the Yajna “violence-free”.)

(4)

-Rig. 1.128.4

(It is stated in this mantra that God and the wise enjoin upon people to perform Yajnas free from violence.,)

(5)

-Rig. 1.19.1

(The blessings of God and the priests have been invoked in this mantra for the success of a Yajna free from violence, always.)

YAJURVEDA :-

Yajurveda is also full of mantras where not only the adjective “Adhvara” has been used for Yajnas, but also we are taught against violence of all kind including the violence against animals. For instance, this mantra indirectly rules out all violence in our dealings with the outside world:-

(Oh God, the Dispeller of darkness, may everyone look upon me with friendly eyes, may I look upon everyone (not human beings alone) with love and friendship, may we look upon each other with love and friendship.)

Describing Yajna as the noblest of acts in Yajurveda (101), people have been asked to protect the animals (पशुन्पाही) In Yajurveda (6-1 1) also there is a teaching for the married couple-pashun paai; pasun trayetham.

In Yajurveda 14.8 it is said ….. द्विपादव चतुष्पात पाहि l (O man thou protect bipeds and quadrupeds)

‘ Likewise in more than 43 mantras in this Veda, the word Adhvara has been used either as an adjective of yajna or its synonym.

SAMAVEDA:

There are also many references to Yajna as “Adhvara” in Samaveda.

Note for instances the followings :-

(In this mantra scholars have been invited to attend the Yajna which is ‘चारु'(beautiﬁ-because it is adhvara (non-violent).

(Using the word Agní(अग्नि) for God, it is said that He encourages non-violent Yajnas “adhvaranam”.

In this mantra also describing Yajna as “adhvara” people are enjoined to Worship God.

There is clear instruction against violence, particularly animal sacriﬁce, in the following mantra :-

It is prayed in this mantra: May we not indulge in any violent act, nor others tempt us to do so.

ATHARVAVEDA :-

Likewise in Atharvaveda, there are many mantras in which the word “adhvara” has been used for Yajnas. For instance :-

In fact the misconception about the injunction of animal sacrifice in the Vedas takes its root from the misinterpretation of the word medha ( मेधा ); a synonym of यज्ञ which is used as a sufﬁx to many words such as अजमेध(Ajmedha),गोमेध (Gomedha) , पुरूषमेध (Purushmedha), अश्वमेध (Aswamedha) etc,

These words, however, do not stand for sacriﬁces of horses, cows, human beings etc as will be shown in the following pages.

The Sanskrit root of the word मेधMedha is मेध्रुमMedhra which means :

(1) to sharpen the intellectual faculty

(2) to promote unity or love among people

(3) or to practice violence.

There is no reason why it should be taken only in the last sense, particularly in relation to Yajnas, in which there is strong emphasis on non-violence in all the Vedas.

It may be noted here that Purush Medha (पुरूषमेध ), Purush Yajna ( पुरूषमेध ) and nriyajna (नृयज्ञ ) are synonyms.

In Manusmriti, नृयज्ञ nriyajna has been explained as hospitality नृयज्ञोSतिथिपूजनम (Manu 3-70).

Taking the second meaning of the root Medhra. ( मेधृ )the word नृमेध (nrimedha) would mean uniting people for noble deeds and inspiring love and unity among them.

Nriyajna (नृयज्ञ ), Purush medha (पुरूषमेध ), are also Rishis of the following mantra from the Samveda :-

That the meaning of such words as अजमेध, and अश्वमेध are different from what they are understood by western scholars is also clear from their references in Brahmanas and Mahabharata etc.

For instance in Shatpath it is stated that the word Asva अश्व: also stands for the seminal energy :

“राष्ट्रं वा अश्वमेध:| वीर्यं वा अश्व||”

Increasing the energy or power of the citizens of the nation or proper administration of the state)

अज is also the name of a kind of paddy which at one time as a rule was poured into the Yajnas.

For instance, we read in Mahabharata (Santiparva):-

When in ancient literature people are asked to offer Aja ( अज ) in the Yajnas, it does not mean they should sactiﬁce a goat, but pour seeds of lentil of the same name.

The similar sentiment has been expressed by Vishnu Sharma in his Panchatantra (Kakoliyam):

Those who perform animal sacriﬁce for Yajnas are fools. They do not understand the proper meaning of the Vedas. ln “अजैर्यज्ञेशुयष्टव्यम” in the Vedas, the word Aja should be understood to mean “ Vrthi”, a particular variety of old paddy and not sacriﬁce of goats.

In “स्याद्वादमंजरी ”, a famous book in Jain literature, the word अज been taken to mean only paddy and never a goat.

(While the ignorant misinterpret the word अज as a goat, the learned understand by it only different varieties of paddy.)

lt has been clearly stated at several places in the Mahabharata that there is no mention in the Vedas of meat eating drinking, or animal sacriﬁces. The Yajnas marred by violence are contrary to the spirit of the Vedas and against the human laws of Manu. The yajnas with animal sacriﬁce were propagated by rogues, atheists, grabbers, usurpurs. Such Yajnas, in fact, are sinful and against religion.

Given below are two slokas from Mahabharata (Shantiparva) which will drive home this point :-

(It is stated in these verses that persons, who have spoken of animal sacriﬁce in Yajnas are stupid, atheists and are devoid of all knowledge about the injunctions of the shastras.)

Manu, the law giver, had stressed the importance of non- violence in all actions. Those who indulge in violence, do so on their own accord. Their actions have no sanction of Manu. Nor do their actions have the approval of the Vedas. All the religions preach non-violence and give it the highest priority in life. Only wicked persons started the tradition of meat eating, drinking and using other intoxicants. They were motivated by egoism, attachment and greed in starting this tradition. The Brahmans see the Omnipresent God in the Yajnas and offer oblations of milk or milk products in the sacriﬁcial ﬁre.

It is clear from the above that animal sacriﬁce in the Yajnas was started only by the wicked. And since it is not in harmony with the spirit of the vedas, any reference to it in Sravsutras, Grthyaasutras, Brahmanas, Smrítis or other religious books should be taken as an interpolation.

That the import of such material in the original ancient literature was not a new phenomenon has been stated by the famous dualist Acharya Madhvacharya in the following words in Mahabharata :

(Some wicked ones import foreign material into original books, some hide a few portions, others alter due to the laziness or do it deliberately. Thus even when these ancient books are not destroyed, they are distorted beyond measure)

The ancient Rishis were totally against animal sacriﬁce in the Yajnas. For instance, it is stated in Mahabharata (Aswamedha parva) that:

(When the Rishis saw the poor animals (brought for sacrifice in the Yajnas,) they were deeply touched, “There is no mention of animal sacriﬁce anywhere. This will only destroy your religion. You should perform Yajnas in accordance with the instruction, given in the Vedas for greater beneﬁt.)”, they told the priest.

No wonder Risis, who have been described in Nirukta as “those who realise the real spirit of Dharma”, considered animal sacriﬁce contrary to the spirit of the Vedas.

At another place in the Shantiparava in Mahabharata, it is said :-

Certainly animal sacriﬁce is not sanctioned by the Vedas. The Yajna is always non-violent and should be performed that way. If one goes to heaven by killing animals or shedding their blood, what is then the way to hell?

ASVAMEDHA YAJ NAS AND NON-VIOLENCE

lt is generally held by Western Scholars and their zealous followers that horses were sacriﬁced in Asvamedha Yajna.

But the description of such a Yajna performed by king Vasu as found in the Mahabharata, does not bear out testemony to this abominable practice.

तस्य यज्ञो महानासीदश्वमेधो महात्मन: |

(lt is stated in these verses that the Yajna was ofﬁciated by great sages and saints including three sons of the Prajapati and Kapila, Katha, Titeri and Kanva etc. This Yajna was very pious and sacred and no animal was sacriﬁced in it a all. The priests of this Yajna, who included authors of the Katha Samhita, Taittiriya Samhita, and Kanva Samhita, performed it in the non-violent way.

There seems to be some reference to animal sacrifice in “Taitteriya Samhita” which were added or interpolated to it only later.

EXHIBITION OF ANIMALS IN THE YAJ NAS

The root Medhra ( मेध्रू ) from which the Sanskrit word Medha (मेध )has been made also means Sangalnana(संगमन) This is borne out by the description of Asvamedh Yajna recorded in Mahabharata

(Aswamedha parva). For instance, in the following description, there is clear indication of an exhibition of different varieties of birds and animals being organised at the time of the Asvamedha :-

The misinterpretation of the words Alambha( आल्मभ ), Sanjapana (संज्ञपन) and Avadana ( अवदान ) was also responsible for creating confusion relating to the issue of animal sacrifiee in the Yajnas.

The following mantra from Yajurveda, is often quoted to suggest the evidence of the animal sacriﬁce :

The word alambha ( आलंभ ) in this mantra has been wrongly interpreted to mean sacriﬁce here of elephants for the Welfare of the Prajapati ( प्रजापति ) ; in fact, alambhana does not mean “to kill” but “to acquire”.

(The word Alambha आलंभ has its root in आंगपूर्वक लाभ which means to acquire, to embrace etc.)

For instance, see the use of this Word in the second sense in the following mantra :

(Here it is prohibited for the Brahmacharins to look or to embrace women (स्त्रीणां च प्रेक्षणालम्भम ).

In the second chapter ofपारस्कर गृह्सुत्र word occurs in this sense where the Acharya touching the heart of a Brahmacharin says :

(The bridegroom should lift his hand above the right shoulder of the bride and touch her heart.)

Here the commentators like Jai Rama and Hari Rama have interpreted the Word आलभते as सप्रूशति (touches)

ln the following injunction again from Paraskara Grihsutra the word alabhate has been used for “touching” :

ln Yajurveda there is a reference to acquire particular birds for specialized study and not for any wayward killing :

THE CORRECT MEANING OF SANGYAPANA( संज्ञापन )

The word संज्ञापन (Sanjyapanam) used at many places in Brahmanas and Shraut Sutras is generally taken to mean “killing instantaneously”. But this is grossly incorrect and only betrays the ignorance leading to its misinterpretation.

lt is clear from the use of this word in the following mantra that it means “to inculcate knowledge” or “to unite” :-

(The mantra means that your bodies should be united, you should take physical exercises unitedly, your minds and your souls should be united. May God, the Repository of Knowledge, always keep you united etc.)

In Satpath also there is a passage where the word has been used in the second sense of making one realise or making it known to others :-

(In this mantra, the power of the tongue, to make the other one know what is in the mind, is stressed.)

MISINTERPRETATION OF THE WORD ASWAMEDHA

It is assened in the Vedic Age that “Animal sacrifices” are indicated in the Apri Suktas and the horse sacriﬁce (Asva Medha) was undoubtedly performed”.

But the fact is that there is not the slightest reference to the animal sacriﬁces in these hymns. This is only the result of their ignorance and illusion.

The word अश्वमेध during the Vedic period was used in the sense of “administration of the state” or “increasing the strength of the state” as clear from ‘राष्ट्रं वे अश्वमेध: (Satpath 13- 1-6) or वीर्यं वा अश्व: But there is no evidence whatsoever of the sacriﬁce of horses in the Yajnas performed during that period.

In the following mantra which used to be recited at the time of the Asvamedha Yajna, there is no reference to animal sacriﬁce at all :

(It is mentioned in these mantras that the horses should be properly trained and full knowledge acquired about their behavior, food and drinking habits etc. People have also been asked in these mantras to look after the horses property.)

In all the mantras of this hymn, there are similar instructions. In the end also, prayers are offered for giving us cows, horses, strong progeny and wealth :-

No doubt some of the Indian scholars like Sayanancharya, Uvvate and Mahidhar and foreign scholars following them like Prof Max Muller, Grifﬁth and Wilson, have misinterpreted some of the Vedic mantras occurring in this hymn to suggest that there is a mention rather an injunction of animal sacriﬁce in the Vedas. While in reality, it is only the ﬁgment of their own mind with no truth in it at all. There is not only complete absence of any instruction for animal sacriﬁce in the Vedas, but there is clear provision for punishment of those who indulge in this practice even negligence, towards these dumb creatures.

Two of the mantras have been thoroughly misunderstood in this regard, the first one being as follows :

Sayanacharya, along with his Indian and foreign follower has given a very absurd meaning of this mantra. According to him the mantra means as follows :-

“Those who see the boiled ﬂesh of horses and praise the smell of their bodies, let the labour of such persons be ours”.

According to Swami Dayanand, however, the mantra means :

“Drive away from us those who beg the ﬂesh or horses or consider them worthy of sacrifice.”

The word Vajinam(वाजिनम) also means a “brave person”. Thus the mantra can also mean that the brave person, who is also well- versed in the art of cooking protects his country and brings wealth to it.

The second mantra, which is oﬁen misunderstood by scholars, is given below :

Saynacharya, and Mahidhar have played havoc while interpreting this mantra in the following way:

“Let not an iota of thy ﬂesh may fall to the ground, O horse, may the gods, desirous of it, receive it.”

Compare it with the rendering of this mantra with the one given by Dayanand in the following words :

“O Ye men, you should get the affected limbs cured by doctors because the medicine given by them is beneﬁcial for health.”

Killing of animals has been prohibited in many mantras in the Vedas. For instance, take the following :

(Don’t kill the horses.)

In Yajurveda’s 25.43 also, the words, ‘मा स्वाधितिस्तन्त्र आतिष्ठिपत् ‘ clearly instruct against killing of animals :

Some orthodox scholars went to the extent of imagining that those animals, which are sacriﬁced in fire, go to heaven. The misconceptions in this regard seemed to have sprung from the following mantra from the Rigveda (1 .162.21) (which also occurs in Yajurveda (25.44) :

Commenting on this Sayanachalya writes :

(Those shall not die O horse, because offered to gods, thou must achieve the divinity and thus share their immortality.)

The correct meaning of this mantra, however, is “Just as a man travels comfortably in a chariot moved by ﬁre, water and air, so the soul, which is fully enlightened through self-knowledge and free from the fear of death or violence, attains the divine bliss)”

Misinterpretation of such Vedic mantras was usually motivated by self-interest greed and ignorance.

Now we will critically examine some of the misconceptions about the sacriﬁce of cows and beef-eating’s.

Clayton, in his book, “The Rigveda and Vedic Religion” writes:

“At one sacriﬁce, probably a very unusual sacriﬁce, performed once in ﬁve years, called the “Pancha Sharadiya Sava, seventeen young cows were offered. Bullocks, buffaloes and deer were also sacrificed, sometime in large numbers. The White Yajurveda mentions 327 domestic animals, including oxen, milch cows, that are to be offered along with the horse at the greater Horse- Sacrifice”

The basis of Clyton’s conclusion seems to be “Rajendra Pal’s book entitled “lndo Aryans ate meat and drank wine”.

Most of the foreign writers have upheld this view and authors of the Vedic Age have almost copied it.

While describing the customs and traditions of the marriage ceremonies during the Vedic Age, they have written:

“The guests are entertained with the ﬂesh of cows killed on the occasion (of marriage).”

This statement made by them is highly erroneous because cows have been described in the Vedas at several places as ‘Aghnya’ (अघ्नया ) and Aditi( अदिति ) which means “not to be killed under any circumstances” Some of the mantras in which the word Aghnya (अघ्नया ) has been used for the cow are as follows :

(hi this mantra cows, addressed as Aghnya अघ्न्या have been enjoined to keep themselves healthy by use of pure water and green grass so that we, who drink their milk, may be endowed with Dharma, knowledge and wealth”

(In this mantra also, where again the word अघ्न्या has been used for cows, it is stated that this animal is responsible for our health and prosperity.)

(In this mantra, the milk of the cow has been compared with the ﬁght of God.)

(Describing the devotee, who is a man of action, it is stated that he gets up before the dawn, entertains noble thoughts and drinks the milk of the cow which should never be killed.)

(In this mantra also the adjective for Dhenunaam (धेनूनाम) is Aghnyanam अघ्न्यानाम [which is very signiﬁcant)

There is also clear instruction in Rigveda. 101.15 against the slaughter of cow which has been described as a mother :-

(Don”t kill the cow which is like the mother, the daughter, and the sister to the learned Brahmacharins.)

The word Aghnya अघ्न्या has also been used for the cow in the Atharvaveda :-

(I remove all your jealousies and prejudices and unite your hearts. May you love each other as a cow loves her new born calf.)

The following mantra from the Atharvaveda also extols the qualities for which the cow is universally loved and revered :

(In this mantra, the milk of the cow, for whom again the adjective Aghnya(अघ्न्या) has been used, is considered of special beneﬁt to the children.)

(In this mantra use of the milk of the cow, has been suggested for the learned persons endowed with great intellects.)

(In this mantra, the Veda has gone to the extent of suggesting the use of cow’s milk for removal of sins :

The penalty of death has been suggested for those who kill the cows :

Also the similar punishment is suggested for even stealing her milk :

In accordance with the spirit of these mantras, Manu, the law giver, has said :

The Vedic Age tries to reconcile the epithet “Aghnya” used for cows with the eating of bullock’s beef saying that (I) the ﬂesh of the ox, rather than that of the cow, was eaten. (ii) the ﬂesh of the cow (if at all) was eaten on special occasions like a sacriﬁce or at a reception of guests. (m) only barren cows ( वशा:) were sacriﬁced.

But this explanation given by them is unacceptable. We must make it clear that the epithet aghnya (अघ्न्या) repeatedly used for cows is also used for the oxen.

For instance Aghnya has been used for the oxen in the following mantras :

(While commenting on this Sayanacharya has written in his Kanvasamhita (chapter-13) :

(In this mantra an ox has been described as “not to be killed” (अघ्न्य:).

The suggestion that the ﬂesh of the cow was eaten on special occasions is also ridiculous.

We have earlier shown that in the entire Vedic literature the word “Adhvara” (non-violent) has been used for the Yajnas. To imagine that meat eating was pennitted on such occasions is beyond our apprehension.

The Brahmanas have clearly stated that meat eating is one of the things which renders the Y ajnas ineffective and, therefore, should be avoided at least during their performance :

(Eat not the meat nor thou indulge in sexual gratiﬁcation during the performance of the Yajna.)

Similar injunction has been given in Tandaya Maha Brahmana :

(A person performing Yajna should neither eat meat nor indulge in sexual intercouse. lf he does, Yajna becomes fruitless and yields no results.)

lt has also been stated in Vedic Age that the cows were killed and their ﬂesh served to please the guests. The following mantra is quoted to prove this practice :

It is also stated in the Vedic Age that the beef was served to guests on the occasion of marriages.

Late K.L. Munshi in his book “Lopamudra” says that guests अतिथिग्व (atithigva) was considered a respectable term which stood for a person who served beef to his guests. It is important to remove the misconception about such words as अतिथिग्व (atithigva) and अतिथिनिर्गा: (atithi-nirga) for गा: in Rigveda

(10.86.3) has been explained by commentators like Sayanacharya as सततं गच्छन्ती: (the root: अत-सातत्य) i.e., ever on the move.

Even the word गा: has been defined as water (साधुनयनादिगुणयुक्ता: अप:). Even if we take the word अतिथि instead of (अतिथिनी ) it means the cows which are brought near to the guests (अतिथिभ्यो नीयन्ते)and are ﬁnally offered to them. There is no reference to their killing which would be in direct violation of the

spirit of the Vedas in which the words Agnya अघ्न्या, and Aditi अदिति have been used. The word अतिथिग्न Atithi-gna does not mean a person who offers beef to the guests as wrongly misunderstood by K.L. Munshi. It stands for a person who goes close to the guests for their service as pointed by Saynacharya and Maharshi Dayanand. Even the famous Sanskrit English Dictionary by Monior Williams gives the meaning of this word अतिथिग्न (atithigna) as: “To whom guests should go.”

Bloomﬁeld has also deﬁned this word as “presenting cows to the guests”

It is pointed by some authors that the word “गोघ्न (Goghna) is used for guests in accordance with the aphorism of Astadhyayi “दाशगोघ्नौ सप्रदाने”. Actually, the word ` गोघ्न (goghna) is nowhere used in the Vedas for guests. When it is used as in the following mantra from Rigveda, it is used in the sense of “keep off ”:

( The killer of the cow is a mean fellow; keep away from him.)

Even in ancient literature, when this word occurs in regard to a guest, it means “A person to whom a cow is offered” and “for whom sweet words are spoken.”

The word गोघ्न’goghna’ is derived from the हन्(Han) which means ‘हिंसा (violence) and गति (movement). The word Stands for ज्ञान (knowledge) `गमन (movement) and (acceptance). Thus goghna गोघ्न is one who is requested to accept the cow. In Atharvaveda, husband is given the instruction :-

(Strengthing your body with the semen, O husband, go to your Wife.)

In this Saynacharya and other Vedic commentators have interpreted the word जा as गच्छ because no sane person can take it to mean to kill.

In Shatpath (1.4.1.2.1) it is stated :-

In this also, the performer of the Yajnas is stated to be desirous of meeting or accepting God and not killing Him.

Therefore Sayanacharya has rightly explained the word “जिघान्सति’ ‘ as ‘प्राप्तुमिच्छति ” _ Many such examples can be multiplied.

Therefore, the word गोघ्न means गौ: हन्यते प्राप्यते यस्मै’. (who is made to accept the cow.)

It is also wrong to say that there is a provision for the killing of the barren cows vasa( वशा: ) in the Vedas.

The word उक्षा and वशा in the following mantra, in particular, stand for oxen and barren cows :-

Actually उक्षा stands for the medicinal herb which is also known as सोम, or “सूर्य`ऋषममetc.

Famous Vedic commentator Sayanacharya has at several places used the word उक्षा to denote सोम. For instance while commenting on Rigveda’s he writes :

Monior Williams has given the similar meaning in his Sanskrit- English Dictionary :-

Uksa, name of Soma (as sprinkling or scattering small drops) name of the Maruts-of the sun and Agni-one of eight medicaments Risbhak.” Some scholars hold the view that the word ETSTT (vasa) in the Vedas stands for the barren cow who was sacriﬁsed in the Yajnas. lt is a very erroneous and misleading statement. Actually this word, used in wider context, means the controlling power of God, the controlling power of the soul which holds under its sway the mind, the intellect and the senses. There are many other meanings of this word, but surely it cannot be interpreted as “barren cows`. We thoroughly studies the hymn where this word occurs but nowhere did we ﬁnd anything to support the above contention, It is, therefore, quite ridiculous to hold the view that in Atharvaveda 10/10, there is

a reference to the sacriﬁce of the barren cows. Take for instance the following mantra from this hymn :

The word सहस्त्रधारांcannot be used in regard to a barren cow or any cow, for that matter.

The word apparently applies to the controlling power of God about whom, it is said in the Atharvaveda (10.190) :

वशा has been used here in the following mantra from the Atharvaveda as the “law of God” or “the controlling power” :

Besides the controlling power of God, the word also stands for earth or a piece of land as in :

In both the hymns (10.10.2 and 10.10.30) of Athaiyaverda, there is reference to giving or taking of “वशा” :

This word also means a good housewife who keeps her children well under control:-

Though the Word has been thus used in different contexts, its principal usage is in medicine. lt is also called “भेदा”.

The beneﬁts of taking this medicament have been described thus in ‘गुणनिघंटु” :

(It means that Meda is useful for cold, bite, heat, pain, cough etc.)

In Sanskrit-English Dictionary by Monior Williams also the words like एकड, वशा, अष्टपदिका, भेद been used for herbs or drugs :-

वशा-Premna Spinosa and Lorgibolia

अष्टपादिका-The plant Vallaiis Dichotoman Wall.

भेद:-A species of Medicinal plant.

Thus we have seen that it is incongrous and ridiculous to see in Atharvaveda hymns any reference to the barren cows and their sacriﬁce in the fire. About the word Go-megha गोमेघ it may be said that the word गौ has many meanings. When it is used in the context of speech गो मेघ will mean application of mind with speech, i.e. uttering words with great discretion or using words with accuracy in accordance with the rules of the grammar etc.)

In one of the passages Vedic Age wrongly assumes that there is an instruction to the couple to eat rice mixed with meat or the meat of oxen if they desired the birth of a child well-versed in the scriptures. As shown earlier, the word has been deﬁned in the Sanskrit English Dictionary by Apte and Monior Williams, both as सोम and ऋषभक as the Tishabha. Thus the couple here have been instructed to take medicaments like सोम and ऋषभक and not meat of the oxen etc. as misunderstood.

In सुश्रुत (Chapter two) meat has been totally prohibited for a pregnant woman. It is even believed that its consumption may lead to abortion :

When meat has been thus prohibited for a pregnant woman, it appears to be highly improbable that there could be any such instruction as supposedly given to the couple.

There is also a reference in the Vedas to consumption of क्षीरौदन,दध्योदन,उदौदन etc for the pregnant woman. Therefore the view expressed by some scholars that an instruction for the couple to take rice mixed with a particular variety of pulse known as UN, seems quite in harmony with the spirit of the Vedas.

There is also a suggestion for taking this particular variety of pulse for women in the following passage from शुश्रुत:

( Here husband has been advised to take ghee and rice with a glass of milk and the wife to take the above mentioned variety of ‘माष (pulse) (before going to bed.)

At another place it is written :-

For healthy child the husband should take ghee with milk and the wife oil and माष (a variety of pulse)

lt is clear from the above that the correct reading in the text is `मांषौदनम Some self-interested persons wrongly misspelt it as and it became popular that way gradually.

However, if one insists on its correct reading as ` मांषौदनम may be mentioned that, according to the derivation of the word given in Nirukat, it means anything which one likes to take with relish and taste :

Thus it will be seen that any milk preparation like “kheer”, “rabaree` etc. will also fall in the category of the word’मांस.

In Charak Samhita, a standard book of Aurvedic medicines, the pith of a mango has been described as HTH and its stone as अस्थि.

The soft eatable portion of date has been named at some places in this ancient book as खर्जूरमांस Therefore it is erroneous to interpret the word मांस as “meat” wherever it occurs because of its wider usage as shown above. ‘

In Shatpat Brahmana the word ‘मांस orपरमान्न for instance, has been used for milk and rice preparation called ‘खीर.

Taitteriya Samhita indicates wider usage of the word मांस to cover curd, honey and com etc. (see 232.8)

In Taitteriya Samhita मांस has been used even for गुग्गुलु(which has been prescribed in the Vedas for killing germs of such fatal diseases as tuberculois.

In the mantra given below, the word `मांस should be taken as “milk” and not meat :-

In this mantra, it is stated the couple should not take cow’s milk and delicious things like खीर until and the unless venerable guest has been served ﬁrst.

A reputed scholar of Sanskrit Sampurand has said in his Commentary on Rigveda’s Purush Sukta that Yajna is not complete without a sacriﬁce but this sacriﬁce is to be not of animals but animal passions like falsehood, greed, sex ego, attachment etc. We full agree with him.

English, Myth Busters

What is Holi? Why do we arya people celebrate it? : By Yashwant Arya

March 16, 2014 Rishwa Arya 1 Comment

In Sanskrit HOLAK means half baked/roasted shami grain like barley, wheat, etc. p246, Arya Parva Paddhati- Pt Bhawaniprasad. [ http://vedickranti.in/books-details.php?action=view&book_id=96 ]. Holi is the hindi apbhransh ofthe sanskrit word holak.

Ayurvedic benefits of holak : In spring/vasant the glaciers melt and increase water in the rivers. Similiarly, body fat melts and enters the blood stream. If left unattended, it will create common cold etc. Holak grain reduces kapha and fatigue and increase a little vata. [Bhav prakash]. This also signals the start of eating of sattu [roasted gram and barley] in Aashad/summer to reduce pitta, etc.

Why don’t we eat it alone? Rigved says ‘Kevalagho Bhavati Kevaladi’ or he who eats alone is accumulating paap/bad deeds. Similiarly sage manu [3.118] admonishes the person eating alone.

Why should the arya people [especially farmers] be happy to receive the aashadhi [saadhi] harvest ? Because this harvest is seldom lost even during famine!!

Russians too celebrate this festival as maslenitsa . http://rbth.ru/arts/2013/03/11/maslenitsa_russians_start_celebrating_pagan_spring_festival_23631.html

http://www.squidoo.com/russian-spring-festival

UK pancake festival.

http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/pancake-day-in-london

Other pagan pre Lenten festivals in different countries are:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian-Alemannic-Fastnacht

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslenitsa

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake_Day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrove_Tuesday

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baklahorani

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamis_el_sakara

Clothing: Clothing can be changed after holak to the light coloured cottons so that one can enjoy summer.

Relationship management: On this day enemies can embrace each other and make a new beginning of friendship.

Playing holi with women : It is not allowed. Did Lakshman ever look at Sita above her feet? How then, can we touch other women on the pretext of coloring them?

Alcohol and other drugs: Not allowed. Do these things improve our intellect or body?

What about Prahlad and holika burning? That is a story.

What should we throw on others? Throw gulab jal or any other jal made from flowers. This will give money to the indian flower growers rather than the chinese communists.

Can we do a yagna [ in sandhya kal] ? Of course swargokamo yajet!

What one act play should be enacted? I suggest Abhijyan Shakuntalam, etc rather than sexually suggestive material which destroys deva and devis alike.

Namaste

Vedic Religion

VAIDIKA RASHTRA GANAM

March 14, 2014 kmrajan Leave a comment

VAIDIKA RASHTRA GAANAM

The following is the English version of a Yajurveda manthra which is also called as `Vaidik Rashtra Gaanam’ This can be recited by persons from any nationality or regions who wish to see their country is prosperous (for example like Ram Rajya).

O! Supreme Being, let there be born in our Nation,

The intellectuals – possessing spiritual splendor

The military men – brave, skilled in warfare,

Mighty warrior and

Destroyer of the enemies;

Let there be born – the cow, giving abundant milk;

The ox, carrier of heavy loads;

The horse of high speed;

The women skilled in domestic affairs;

The son this devotee, while he attains his youth-

Be heroic and highly cultured.

May the clouds rain on the required occasions.

May the fruit-bearing trees bear ripe fruits

In abundance.

May the power of acquisition and perseverance of wealth ever remain with us

And last but not the least

May we remain ever vigilant in the Nation and

Come forward for its protection. (Yajur Veda 22-22)

Christianity, English

CHRISTIAN MISSIONARY FRAUDS TO PLANT ‘JESUS’ IN VEDAS EXPOSED

March 6, 2014 kmrajan 2 Comments

The Christian missionaries were making an all out assault on degrading our hindu beliefs, our sacred scriptures and there by convert en mass hindu brothers who are ignorant of our religious ideals. Earlier their sinister propagation was against our epics, Puranas and historical characters like Sree Ram and Sree Krishna. Due to the influence of Ramayan and Mahabharath epics and its TV serials like Ramayan etc. (as there is no provision for giving religious education in our schools as secularism forbid teaching Hindu dharmic topics, hence we have to depend upon the popular tele serials like Ramayan and Mahabharath), majority of hindus were able to understand and counter any allegation against their such holy books. But unfortunately, Vedas the revealed knowledge and the root of Indian (even entire creation of the world) civilization did not get such popularity among the general public. There are many reasons for this. I do not want to elaborate it here as now our task is to counter the evangelists who are trying to defame our Vedic religion.

Christian Missionaries after their failure in refuting Vedas and Hindu scriptures even after repeated attempts , their tactics to dupe naïve Hindus had changed. Now their attempt is to – To prove that Jesus arrival was prophesied in Vedas and there by Hindus should convert to Christianity. Following the path of these Christian propagandists , Jihadi’s are also trying die hard to plant their Allah and Muhammad into Vedas.

One of such claim by Christians propagandists in various forums as part of a organised conspiracy is as follows

If Krishna is a far cry from the superlative person of Jesus, there is another person in the Rig Veda who fits the comparison most. As there are 73 books in the Holy Bible, there are 10 books in the Rigveda. Ten mandalams. First nine mandalams refers to a God and presents methods of worship as rituals. In the tenth mandalam, besides this Lord Almighty, there is the mention about a man. The first born and only born son of the God. His name is ‘Prajapathy’. Prajapathy, the son of the God comes to this world at the appropriate time. After coming to this world he travels around advising mankind, what is sin and what is not sin; what is to be done and what is not to be done; what is wrong and what is right. To those human beings, who accept his advises and obey his orders, he offers prosperity and peace in this worldly life and salvation at the time of their death. And being the completion of his venture to redeem mankind from sin, he gets sacrificed at the end his specified period on earth.

In verse 7 chapter 90 of the 10th book of the Rigveda, the sacrifice of Prajapathy the Son of God, is well explained.

‘At the time of sacrifice, the son of God will be tightly tied to a wooden sacrificial post using iron nails by hands and legs, he will bleed to death and on the third day he will regain his life in a resurrection.” Evidently none of the avatars meets this description. Nor are they expecting another incarnation, which will fit the description and attributes

COUNTERING THE ALLEGATIONS
Now let us counter the allegation verse by verse.

Allegation 1. In verse 7 chapter 90 of the 10th book of the Rigveda, the sacrifice of Prajapathy the Son of God, is well explained.

‘At the time of sacrifice, the son of God will be tightly tied to a wooden sacrificial post using iron nails by hands and legs, he will bleed to death and on the third day he will regain his life in a resurrection.”

Reply : This Hymn is from Purusha Sooktha of Rig Veda. It is repeated in Yajurveda also. The meaning of this Hymn is as follows “O men know Him, the perfect God, existent before the creation of the world, and highly adorable, Him the learned, the yogis and the Rishis realize in the innermost recesses of their hearts, and worship as directed by the Vedas preached by Him!’ There is no mention of cruzification by nails, bleed to death, resurrection etc.

Allegation 2 : “sa paryaghachachukrama virunamsnaviram shudhhama papavittham kavirmanishi paribhur swayambhur yadhatha ityadhorthan viyadhadhacha chiviyaha samabhyaha”

Reply : This manthra is from Isavasyopanishat (also the 8th manthra of 40th chapter of Yajurveda). Its meaning is “God is All pervading, Lustrous, Bodiless, Flawless, Sinewless, Pure, unpierced by evil. He is omniscient, knower or the hearts of all, censurer of the sinful, and self-existent. He truly reveals through the Vedas all things for His subjects from His immemorial attributes, free from birth and death” Nowhere here the Jesus seems to have any resemblance. The description of the Supreme God mentioned in the referred Upanishads also do not substantiate the biblical view of God.

The Hymns of Purusha Sooktham mentioned in the articles and their concept of meaning can only foolish those who do not know basic Sanskrit knowledge. See a classic example (this I already pointed out in reply to Allegation 1 above). In vedic literatures, the word yagya is not similar to the meaning of sacrifice as being followed by Christians and Muslims (for them sacrifice means killing of men or animals as an offering to God!). Vedas totally prohibits killing of any creatures for any purpose including food needs also. The Prajapathi mentioned in Vedas do not have any resemblance with the man God Jesus!

It is very interesting that the Christian propagandists are now willing to accept that Vedas originated even before their Bible and Jesus. It will also be interesting to search the truth that the life of Jesus was missing from his age 13 to 30 yrs from history books. In his research book titled ‘Christianity is Krishnanity’ by renowned historian and INA veteran Late Sri. PN Oak clearly proved with strong evidence regarding this view. Since our missionary brothers started acknowledging the Vedas, it is right time for them to study more on Vedas, Hinduism and return to their parent religion i.e. Vedic Religion!

Om Krinvantho Vishwamaryam!

English, Great Aryas, Personality

LEKHRAM- THE ARYA MISSIONARY!

March 6, 2014 Rishwa Arya 3 Comments

6^th MARCH – THE MARTYRDOM DAY OF Pt. LEKH RAM, THE ARYA MISSIONARY!

By : KM Rajan

Arya Samaj has moulded many great missionaries who were ready to do supreme sacrifice for the sake of Vedic dharma. Pandit Lekh Ram was one of the first among them.

Pt. Lekh Ram was born on 8^th of Chaitra 1915 (1858)in the village Saiyad Pur in the Jhelum district of Punjab. His parents were Sri. Tara Singh and Smt. Bhag Bhari.

He was a police officer in Punjab and resigned from the government service voluntarily and devoted for propagation of Vedas even not caring for his family and only son too. He was influenced by the writings of Munshi Kanhaiya Lal Alakhdhari and came to know about Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati and Arya Samaj. He founded Arya Samaj at Peshawar (now in Pakisthan) and became a preacher of Punjab Arya Pratinidhi Sabha. He also vowed to write the authentilc life history of Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati. For this purpose, he travelled far and wide and collected a detailed account of the life of the founder of Arya Samaj. Pt. Lekh Ram wrote thirty three books. All his writings are in Urdu, but they have been translated in Hindi and some books have been translated into Sindhi and English also.

He established the view points on Arya Samaj and vedic religion so forcefully that nobody dared to come forward to oppose. Many inspiring facts from his life are written in golden lines of Arya Samaj history. A small incident from his life is being quoted here. He was an ardent propagator for Vedic dharma and shuddi (re-conversion to Vedic religion) movement. One day he returned to home after day’s long propagation work and was so tired. His wife told that their only son is very sick and if unable to take him to a doctor immediately, his life will be in danger. He understood the gravity of sickness of his son and promised to take him hospital after taking one Rotti as he was so hungry. When he was about to eat the Rotti, a post man carrying a telegram reached to him stating that few Hindus are about to change their religion to Islam in`Payal’ village in Patiala district of Punjab. Without thinking for a moment he left the meals and moved to the said village in a train. When he saw that there is no stoppage for train at the`Payal’ village, he jumped out of the running train and some how reached the venue of conversion with severe body injuries. He shouted `I am Pt. Lekharam from Arya Samaj is coming for Shasthrarth (religious debate) with you. If you defeat me in arguments, I myself along with these poor Hindus will embrace Islam. Otherwise you all should accept Vedic dharma. In the end of the shasthrarth all embraced Vedic Religion. This time one another telegram reached to him. The matter of it was his only son died of sickness! That was the dedication of Pt. Lekharam!

This great son of mother India was died from the stab wounds of a fanatic inflicted upon him on 6^th March 1897. Let us take inspiration from this immortal martyr on the occasion of his death anniversary (6^th March) for fulfilling the vision of `Krinvantho viswamaryam’

English, Vedic Religion

WHEN WERE THE VEDAS WRITTEN ?

March 4, 2014 rdhoot 2 Comments

WHEN WERE THE VEDAS WRITTEN ?

From Book : Vedas-The Myth and Reality ( A reply to Vedic Age )

Author : Pt Dharmadev Vidyamartand

We have tried to establish in the preceding chapters that Vedas contain Divine knowledge and were revealed by God through four Risis-Agni, Vayu, Aditya and Angira.

This traditional belief is quite logical and there is nothing superstitious when we realise that man would have remained Completely ignorant if such a knowledge had not been revealed to him through the Vedas.

The knowledge of the Vedas was revealed to man at the time of creation and to the question how old are the Vedas, our answer is: “as old as the human creation.”

The scholars from the East and the West have expressed contradictory statements about the time when Vedas were handed down to the humanity.

There is hardly any substance in their arguments in favour of different dates which are all purely conjectural.

We will, in the following pages give a bird’s-eye view of their conjectures.

Prof. Max Muller comes ﬁrst and foremost among the Western scholars who tried to determine the age of the Vedas.

In his book “History ofAncient Sanskrit Literature ” (1859) he writes :-

“Buddhism is nothing else than a reaction against Brahmanism, and it presupposes the existence of the entire Veda i.e., of the literature emodied in the Samhitas, the Brahmnas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads. The whole of this literature must have, therefore, been Pre-Budhistic i.e., it must have arisen before 500 B.C. The Vedanga and the Sutra literature could be approximately simultaneous with the origin and the expansion of Buddhism in its initial stages. These Sutra works, whose origin might be attributed to the period from 600 to 200 B.C., are, however, so constructed that, they, of necessity, presuppose all Brahmana literature. The Brahmanas, however, of which there are older and new ones,

containing as they do, long lists of preceptors who handed down the more ancient Brahmanas, could not possibly be compressed within less than two hundred years. We must, therefore, regard the period 800 to 600 B.C. as that required for the growth of these prose works. The Brahmanas, however, presuppose, further in their turn, the Vedic Samhitas. At least two hundred years were now necessary in order that all these collections of songs and prayers could be put together. Therefore, the period circa 1000 to 800 B.C. would be regarded as the period in which these samhitas (or collections) which were already regarded as holy sacriﬁcial songs and authoritative prayer-books, must have been made and they must have preceded a time in which the hymns and the songs contained in them should have arisen as popular or religious compositions. This period must lie before 1000 B.C. Two hundred years more e and we arrive at 1200 to 1000 B.C. as the initial period of the Vedic poetry.”

lt should be stressed here that period of 200 years which Prof. Maxmuller has set apart for various epochs for development of the Vedic literature is the minimum in his view. He never wanted this period to be treated as final.

In his “Gifford Lectures”(1 890), he clearly stated : “We could not hope to be able to lay down any terminus a quo. Whether the Vedic hymns were composed in 1000 or 1500 or 2000 or 3000 years B.C.-no power on earth could ever fix.”

It is very unfortunate that despite his above statement, the Western scholars thought that Prof. Max Muller scientiﬁcally ﬁxed the date of the composition of the Vedas as 1200 to 1000 B.C. Some German scholars, however, showed the courage to oppose this view. When Schroeder and Heiman extended the date of the Vedas to 2000 B.C. and 4,500 B.C. respectively, they had to face a lot of criticism for holding their conjecture against MaxMuller’s approved date of 1500 to 1000 B.C. (which in reality he had not.)

Another German scholar Winternitz has also contradicted Prof Max Muller’s view in his book “Geshcikte Indischen Literamre”.

He says, “It is now evident that the presumption of exactly two hundred years for the various literary epochs in the development of the Veda is purely arbitrary. And MaxMuller himself would not properly say such period and that our Rigveda Samhita had indeed been completed at least about 1000 B.C. He had always understood his date for Vedas of 1200 to 1000 B.C. only as the terminus a quo and in his lectures on Physical Religion that appeared in 1890, he had distinctively said, “We could not hope to be able to lay down any terminus a quo. Whether the Vedic hymns were composed in 1000 or 1500 or 2000 or 3000 years B.C., no power on earth could ever ﬁx.”

“This purely hypothetical-and in itself entirely arbitrary- chronological fixing ofthe Vedic epochs by MaxMuller, attained in course of years, the respectability of a scientiﬁcally proved fact and everybody said that no arguments or substantial proofs were thought necessary on the score.

W.D. Whitney in his book “Oriental and Linguistic Studies” (1872) has, however, reproved this habit of thinking that Max Muller had proved the period 1200 to 1000 B.C. as the date of the Rigveda.

“Only with timidity could some scholars like Von Schroeder go back to 1500 or at most to 2000 years B.C.”

Dr. Winternitz, while quoting Weber’s words in this regard that “Any such attempt of defining the Vedic antiquity is absolutely fruitless”, goes on to add:- “In reality nothing more has been known

than that the Vedic period extends from an altogether undeﬁned past to the Fifth century before Christ. Neither the ﬁgures 1200 to 500 nor 1500 to S00 nor 2000 to 500 which are often met with approval in the popular account about the age of the Vedic literature, have any justiﬁcation. The only date justiﬁable is X to 500 B.C.; and as a result of the investigation of the last ten years, it could be said that it was more probable in place of 500 B.C. …… ..” We must however, guard against giving any deﬁnite ﬁgures, Where such a possibility is, by the nature of the case, excluded.”

Morris Bloomﬁeld, the author of “ Vedic Concordance ” after making some conjectures about the age of Vedas, candidly admits: “More frankly, we do not know’

He further explains : “l, for my part, am and-l think I voice many scholars-are now much more inclined to listen to an early date-say 2,000 B.C. for the beginning of Vedic literary production, and to a much earlier date for the beginning of the institution, and of the religious concepts which the Veda has derived from those pre-historic times-which cast their shadows forward into the records that are in our hands. Anyhow, we must not be beguiled by that kind of conservatism which merely shoves Conscience into thinking that there is better proof for any later date such as 1500, 1,200 or 1,000 B.C. rather than their earlier date of 2000 B.C. “Once mere frankly, we do not know.”

Clayton, in his book “The Rígveda and Vedic Religion “- writes “From what has already been said, it will be evident that no dates can be assigned to the origin of the hymns that make up the Vedas. lndeed it is necessary to go further and to say that there is not sufficient evidence to show with any precision when the four Vedas were collected together and the Vedas themselves, as we have them, formed.

We are very much surprised to see the self-contradictory statements of the authors of the “Vedic Age” on this subject.

On the one hand, they admit that the date of the Vedas cannot be ﬁxed and, on the other, they fix up the date as about 1000 B.C. For instance, they write at one place in their book,” The Age of the Rigveda is not known with even an approximate degree of certainty.” (Vedic Age)

“And at another place (Tenth chapter), they say :-

From a purely linguistic point of view, the Rigveda in its present form cannot be dated much earlier than 1000 B.C. The language of the Rigveda is certainly no more different from that of the Avestan Gathas than is old English from old High German and, therefore, they must be assigned to approximately the same age ……. ..Thus from general linguistic considerations, we get (for the Rigvedic language, as known to us,) an approximate date of 1000 B.C. Although the culture represented by it must be considerably older, it can hardly be pushed back considerably before 1500 B.C.” (Vedic Age)

“On linguistic grounds, the language of the Rigveda, the oldest Veda-may be said to be about 1000 B.C; but its contents may be and are certainly in the oldest parts of a much more ancient date and, its latest parts, resembling Atharvanic charms, are as surely of much later origin.” (Vedic Age)

One of the greatest Indian scholars, who wrote about the age of the Vedas, is Bal GangadharTilak.

In his book “Orion”, he has collected astronomical data in the Vedas and adduced evidence of recollection “of the Vernal Equinox falling at a time when the sun was in Orion.”

That must have been about 5000 years prior to the time when the present Indian calendar was ﬁxed with the Venial Equinox falling at the time when the sun was in Aries, and this was in the beginning of the Christian Era. So, according to Tilak, the Vedas must be assigned to about 5,000 B.C.

Later however, Tilak noted that there were recollections traceable in the Vedas to a period when the Vernal Equinox fell at a time when the Sun in the Tisya grah. On this basis he concluded that the Vedas may be pushed back even to about 10,000 B.C. This was not generally accepted by scholars who did not believe that the calculations of these positions of the Sun could be accurate enough in these primitive times to form a basis for fixing dates.

In fact at the end of his book, Tilak himself observed :-

“Though I have ventured to write on the subject, I cannot claim to have finally solved this important problem in its bearings.”

Another Indian scholar, Dina Nath Shastri, has on the basis of the astronomical dates, expressed the view that Vedas are about 300,000 years old.

MAHABHARATA AND THE VEDAS

Not only there is a reference to the four Vedas in the Mahabharat but also to its Angas and Upangas.

In the Sabha Parva for instance, Bhishma Pitamaha says about Shri Krishan that he was well-versed in the Vedas and the Vedangas:-

In Adiparva there is another shloka in which there is again a reference to the Vedas and its upangas:-

(i.e. that person can not be considered areal Scholar who may have the knowledge of the Vedas and Angas and Upanishad; but is ignorant of Mahabharata.)

The following verse gives clear evidence of the existence of the Vedas and its Angus and Upanishads at the time of Mahabharata:-

In the following lines from Mahabharata, it is statcd that God, through Vedas, gives knowledge to the mankind about different forms and actions of such elements as earth, water, air, ﬁre and light and goads man to acts of goodness :-

The authors of the Vedic Age have described the Mahabharata period as Circa 1400 B.C. while they regard the date of composition of Rigveda as 1000 B.C. The fallacy in their conjecture is proved by the reference to the Vedas and their Angas in Mahabharata itself. Well if Vedas were written at that time, they could not have been described as eternal.

The authors of the Vedic Age mention the Mahabharat period between 1400 and 1000 BC but put 1400 B.C. in bracket after the caption I “The Bharat War”‘undcrsection 8 (Historical Traditions) At other places also, they have given the same date for the Mahabharata period though the word “Probably” has been unsparingly used.

For example, they write :-

“Though the Mahabharata, in its present form, is a late production, the kernel of the story takes us back to the period between 1400 and 1000 B.C. when, as noted above, the battle was probably fought”

The following inscription however of Maharaja Pulakesin (of Chalukyas) family, found in a Jain temple, gives a deﬁnite proof that South Indian scholars believed that Mahabharata war took place around 3,000 years B.C. :-

In his book entitled Brihat-Sanhita, Varamihira, a well-known Indian astrologer, writes (13 .3) :-

“At the time of the reign of Maharaja Yudhisther, Saptarishis were in the Magha planet and by adding 2,526 years to Yudhistra`s period, there is beginning of the Shak era “.(13.3)

Al-Beruni, an Arabian historian, writes on the subject :

“According to Brahmagupta and other astronomers 4,131 years have elapsed since the commencement of Kalyuga upto 1,031 A.D. and the Mahabharata war took place about 3,479 years upto 1,03 1 A.D.

This means, according to the thought held by Indian scholars at the time of al-Beruni, the Mahabharata war took place about 2,448 B.C.

Acharya Rama Deva writes in Bharatavarsa ka itihas (1991) that in 1999 (Vikrama Era) all the Indian astrologers had unanimously calculated that Mahabharata war took place 5000 years ago. Magesthenes, who travelled India during the period of Chandragupta, writes :

“From the time of Dionysuis to Sandrokottos the lndians count 153 kings and a period of 6042 years. (When among them a republic had been thrice established.) Then these lndians also tell us that Dionysuis had been here earlier than Heracles by 15 generations.”

“This Heracles is held in special honour by the Saurasent, Indian tribe, who possesses two large cities, Mothora and Cleisobra.” and Mothora. (Mc Crinde’s Ancient India)

REFERENCE TO VEDAS IN THE RAMAYANA

Shri Rama was born in “Treta`s end ” and Mahabharata was written at the end of Dwapar. The Mahabharata war took place at the end of Dwapar. Now if it is proved that there are references to

Vedas and their Angas in Ramayanas their antiquity is antomatically

established.

While writing about Rama Balmiki says in his Ramayana :

(Rama was well-versed in the Vedas and Vedangas and also in the Dhanurveda (the science of archery).

Again in the Ayodhya Kand (1.20), it is written :-

Shri Ram was steeped in the knowledge of the Vedas etc.

In Kiskíndha Kanda (3.28.29) of Balmiki Ramayana, Rama says about Hanuman: One who has not studied Rigveda, Yajurveda and Samveda, cannot speak such fluent and ﬂawless language :-

These references clearly show that Vedas, Upvedas and Vedangas existed much before the Ramayana period.

Bloomfield, in his introduction to the “Hymns of the Atharvaveda,” writes :-

“In the Ramayana, the Vedas in general, are mentioned very frequently; special Vedic names appear to be rare in the Sama Veda(सामगा:) being mentioned at IV. 27.10; The Taitteriya (आचार्य:तैतिरियानाम)

at 11-32-7; the Atharvaveda ( मन्त्राश्चाथवरणा:) at 11.32,26.21.

The authors of “The Vedic age” have described 2,350-1,950 B.C. as the period of Rama. This whole attempt has been made to put the whole Indian history within a compass of 5000 or 6000 years as the Christians generally do.

Describing Vaivatsava Manu as the first King, they say about his age :- “The year 3102 B.C. thus represents the age of Manu, the ﬁrst traditional King in India.”

They have futher said :- “The ﬂood in Mesopotamia is generally held to have occurred about 3100 B.C. The ﬂood in India probably also occurred at the same time, and the date 3102 B.C. supposed to be the beginning of the Kali era, may therefore, commemorate this event.”

This is all pure fabrication of the mind of the authors. There is nothing to support the view that the deluge in Mesopotania coincided with a diluge in India.It is wrong to accept year 3,100 B.C _ which they regard to be the beginning of the Kalyug as the age of Satyug Era (of Vaivasvata Manu.)

Elaborating their point of view, the authors add :-

“Yayati who is fifth in descent from Manu and ﬁgures also in the Rigveda, thus flourished (18*5)=90 years after Manu or in (3100-90 3010 B.C.) ……….. Rama ﬂourished 65 generations after Manu, i.e. 3100-652×18-1930 B.C. These dates will, of course, have to be lowered by 400 years if the Bharata war is placed in 1000 B.C.”

It is apparent from the close look at their Writings that they have no deﬁnite knowledge about the date of the Mahabharata war.

At time they say it occurred in 1,400 B.C. and at other places, they say it was 1000 years ago.

They base their assumption about Yayati as the ﬁfth in descent from Manu on the basis of following mantra of the Rigveda :-

In this mantra Yayati has been taken to mean by the authors of the Vedic Age as a king who Was ﬁfth in descent from Manu. But in reality it is not a proper noun but a common noun as discussed earlier in case of such characters.

The deravative meaning of the word Yayati (ययाति)is industrious. The word “ययाति” is derived from the root यति प्रयत्ने.

The mantra, as explained by Swami Dayanand, is as follows :-

i.e. A leader should emulate the deeds of an industrious person,

About Rigveda period, Dr. Avinash Chandra Das writes in his book “Rigvedic India” :-

“The Rigveda must be held to be as old as the Miocine or the Pliocene Epoch whose age is to be computed by some hundreds of thousands, if not Millions of years. This at ﬁrst sight would seem

to be extremely incredible. But it may be mentioned here in passing that the lndo-Aiyans believe the Rigveda to be as old as the creation of man, in other words, to have emanated ﬁom Brahman, the Creator Himself, and is regarded as Apauruseya i.e, not ascribable to any human agency, though the Risis or seers might have clothed the revealed truths and etemal ven`ties in language of their own from

time to time. This bereft of all exaggerations, would mean that the Rigveda has existed from time immemorial. To this belief of the Indo-Aryans, however, absured it might seem, the results of geological investigations, undoubtedly lend some strong colour.”

The three yugas-Sat, Dwapar and Treta, cover a period of four million three hundred twenty thousand years-(i.e. reckoned as one cycle.) Seventy one such cycles make up a period of time called mavantar( मन्वंतर” ) “Fourteen such manwantaras make up the life of a universe. Uptil now six manvantras have passed. And of the present Age, which is “Kaliyug“ only about 5,068 years have elapsed. That brings the age of this universe to about one hundred eighty six million two hundred thousand years.

According to the “Surya Siddhanta “, a famous work on astronomy and Manusmriti etc. in the seventh mantra it is said near 27 chaturyugis have passed and 28^th is in progress.

The years of each of the yuga are described thus:

SATYUGA = 1726000

TRETAYUGA = 1296000

DWAPAR = 864000

KALIYUGA = 432000

This calculation is corroborated by the “Sankalpa” read out by the priests at the commencement of every Yagna :-

Works on modem science almost corroborate this oriental view about the age of the earth :-

“Some good evidence that the real age of the earth is two or three thousand million years has, been supplied by the study of the traces of Uranium and an isotope of lead (into which it slowly changes) in the layers of rocks.

The weight of scientific evidence is against an inﬁnitely extended past, but the past which we formerly reckoned as six thousand years, cannot be shorter than 1800 million years and may be far longer”

In “The Outline of Modem knowledge” edited by William Rose, it is stated :-

“Our globe must be about two thousand million years old and can in no case be much older”.

H.G. Wells writes in the “Outline of History”:-

“Astronomers and Mathematicians give us 200 million years as the age of the earth (as a body separate from the sun.)”

We would like to conclude this chapter with a quotation from one of the Nobel Prize Winner Scientists in his book “Great Secret“:-

“As for the source of the primary source, it is almost impossible to re-discover them. Here we have only the assertions of the occultist tradition, which seem, here and there, to be confirmed by historical discoveries. This tradition attributes to the vast reservoir of the Wisdom that somewhere took shape simultaneously with the origin of man ….. .., entities, to beings less entangled in matter”

It is regrettable that ignoring all this latest scientific evidence of corroborating the age of the earth and the Vedas, the authors of the Vedic age have tried to compass the whole history of ancient India within a period of above 6000 years in accordance with the general Christian belief.

As we have shown earlier, the Vedas were revealed in the beginning of human Creation and, therefore, their age is the same as that of this earth.

English, Vedic Religion

RISHIS : AUTHORS OR SEERS?

March 3, 2014 rdhoot 1 Comment

RISHIS: AUTHORS OR SEERS?

FROM BOOK : Veda-The Myth and Reality ( A reply to Vedic Age )

Author : Pt Dharmdev Vidyamartand

We have tried in the earlier chapter to establish that Vedas, which are eternal, have been revealed by God Himself. We have also stressed their importance from different points of view. But Western scholars like Prof. Max Muller, Weber and Macdonell hold the view that Risis were the authors of Vedas. The mantras contained in the Vedas had been written by them from time to time, How can the Vedas then be etemal and Divinely revealed? Some of these scholars and authors even quote from Vedas and Sutras to support their contention. They say that Vasishtha, Jaamdagni, Angira, Kava, Bharadwaj, Gautam, Atri (whose names occur in the Vedas) were some of these authors. They also attempt to

reinforce their view by showing names of some countries and their kings extant in the Vedic “ballads”. Their detailed list is compiled by Prof. Macdonell and Dr. Keith. This list is entitled “ Vedic Index of Names and Subjects. ”

But the fact is that Risis are “seers’ and not the “authors” of the Vedas. The following is the definition of Risis given by Yaskacharya in Nirukta :

Also Acharya Upmanyu has stated that, those who have realised the true meaning and import of the mantras, are regarded as Risis. They were called Risis because they came to such realisation during the course of meditation and through penance. The realisation of the true meaning of the mantras, with all their mysteries, constitutes their seerhood.

Something similar to Acharya Upumanyu”s assertion is also found in Taittiríya Aranyaka (2.9.l):-

The following from the Satpath Brahman also denotes the similar meaning: –

In Taittiriya Samhita, Aitareya Brahmana, Kanva Samhita,Satpatha Brahmana and Sarvanukramni etc, seers have been described as the Risis. lt is speciﬁed which mantras, suktas and the mandals were revealed to each :-

Though it is true that such names as Viswamitra, Jamadagni, Bharadwaja, Atri, Angiras, Priyamedha occur in the Vedas but it might be stressed here that they are epithets cannoting certain attributes and not proper nouns standing for particular individuals.

Again it is stated in Aitereya Brahmana that words like Grtsamada, Vísvamitra, Vamdeva, Atri, Bharadwaja, Vasistha, Pragatha, generally denote vital energy :

As these words denote common attributes in accordance with the derivations given in the above passages, they can be used for men and places having such attributes. For example, one who considers everyone as his friend and whom everyone considers his friend, will be called “Visvamitra” ; One who prevents others from committing sins, will be known as Atri.

A man endowed with strength and knowledge will be called “Bharadawaja”. One who is well-versed in the science of respiration (प्राणविद्या)and is a true devotee of God will be named “Vasistha”. A person, who keeps his senses and intellect under control, will also be known by the same name.

One who develops good qualities or lives in God and is shining through His glory, is “ Vamadeva”. The same is true of other words occurring elsewhere in the Vedas.

In Satpath Brahmana, which is an authentic exposition of Yajurveda, it is said, that Vasishta stands for vital energy Bharadwaja for intellect, Vishwamítra means ears, Angirasa for spiritual energy, and Visvarkamian for speech.

In Brhadaranyaka also, the words like “Gautam”, “Bharadwaja” are meant to denote senses :-

Here the two ears, two eyes, two nostrils and one speech have been called respectively Gautama, Bharadwaja, Jamadagní, Vasistha etc.

Words including Vasístha, Viswamitra, Jamadagni are not proper nouns denoting certain attributes as evident from the following:

Words like Kathaka, Kalapaka, Paippalada are- (missionaries of style) ( ).

Those who try to prove history in the Vedas are mistaken. For instance, when “Bhoj” occurs in Rigveda :-

Surely it is not a particular name of the King bom in 11^th or 12^th century A D, but refers to any king or any person who is charitable or who protects others.

In mantras like :

“Kanva” is not the name of a Risi or his progeny, but according to Nighantu, refers to all those who are endowed with sublime wisdom.

In the following mantra from Atharvaveda (18-3-16)

“Viswamitra ” is not the son of Gadhi; Jamadagni‘ is not the father of Parasurama, “Vasistha” is not the priest of he Suryavansis, as erroneously understood by a few scholars.

As pointed out earlier, Viswamitra stands for a man who looks upon everyone as his friend, Jamadagni for one who sees through the reality by his intellect or whose sight is pure; Vasistha is one who is Well-versed in the science of breath or who is the noblest of all by virtue of his inherent qualities; Bharawaja is one who is endowed with knowledge or purity of mind. One who is agile is Gautama, one who is constantly occupied in the devotion of God is Vamdeva. Atri is one who is free from all sufferings-spiritual, or material.

Sayanacharya has asserted that not only in the Vedas but even in Brahmanas, there is no human history. We, however, do not are the living expositions of the Vedas by Risis. So, there is human history even in the Brahmans as evident from the following from Taittiriya

Aranyaka (2.9):

But what can be more regrettable than this that the same Sayanacharya, who asserts that there is no human history even in the Brahmanas, gives historical interpretation of the following mantras from Rigveda (1-126-6) :

“When seduced for an intercourse by his child-wife Romasa, Rishi Bhavahavya said to her jokingly: “And you are most worthy of enjoyment! You embrace me with arms outwardly and join your reproductive organ inwardly. What a wonderful woman you are! You’re so much attached to me! You’re like Nakuli, who never deserted her husband. There is a lot of vital energy in you. You are capable of providing one with sexual delight in more than hundred and one ways”

In fact, there is not a single word in the mantra denoting request by Romasa for an intercourse; nor is there any indication of any ridicule by Risi Bhavahavya.

ln his commentary Swami Dayanand has given the following explanation of the above mantra :-

i.e. (A man should follow that policy which gives manifold pleasures).

Thoughtful readers can compare the two explanations (given by Sayanacharya and Swami Dayananda respectively) objectively and decide for themselves which of them is more in keeping with the spirit of the Vedas as a whole and which is only strained and forced and based on fantasy. The next mantra of the same hymn is as follows (Rig. 1-126-7) :-

Commenting on it says Sayanacharya :

Replying to Risi Bhavayaya, Romasa, daughter of Brihaspati and herself, a Brahmavadini, says :-

“Don’t think that I”m not fully matured and, therefore, not ripe for your enjoyment.

“My hair have fully grown. If you have any doubt, touch my hidden reproductive organ and discover it for yourself if I can give you pleasures of a paradise or not.”

Thus we see self-contradiction in Sayanacharya ‘s commentary : on the one hand he denies existence of any human history in the Vedas, nay even in Brahmanas, and on the other, he does not hesitate in giving obscene meaning of the so-called narration in the vedas relating to Bhavavaya-Romasa, Agastya–

Lopamudra, Pururavas-Urvasi, Indra-Indrani etc.

Those who regard Risis to be authors of the mantras will have to face very strong objections which they will ﬁnd difficult to rebut.

There are many mantras which are supposed to have more than hundred Risis. as for example in the following mantra from the Rigveda :-

Are we going to believe that this mantra in Gayatri Chhanda (containin g only 24 letters), was written jointly by 100 Risis? Can any impartial scholar accept this absurd assumption?

In fact, instead of writing the mantra, the 100 Risis only realized the true spirit of the mantra and revealed its secret to others. There is nothing incongruous or absurd in this interpretation.

There are supposed to be 1,000 Risis of the three mantras of the 34^th hymn of Rigveda’s 8^th Mandal :

It would be highly absurd and ridiculous to believe that 1,000 Risis authored these three mantras.But there is nothing irrational in believing that they were the interpreters of the same. Another objection that can be raised against believing that Risis were the authors of the Vedas is: how is it that there are different Risis of not only the same mantras in different Vedas but of the

same mantras at different places in the same Vedas? For example :-

(1) In Rigvedas (4.4.83) the Risi of the mantra

is Vamadeva, but in Yajurveda (17-91), it is Sadhyah.

The Risi of the following mantra is “Bharadwaja“ when it occurs in Atharveda (1.20.4)

but not so in Rigveda.

The Risi of the following mantra is Yakasma-Nasana Prajapati in Rigveda (l0.l6l.l) and Brahman in Atharvaveda (3.11.1)

In Rigveda, the Risi of the following mantra is Agastya but when it occurs again in the Sama Veda (40.l6), its Rishi is Dadhyan Atharvana.

We can produce hundreds of examples in which Risis of the same mantras differ from mandala to mandala in a particular Veda.

lt is very difficult to explain away the change in the names of the Risi if we attribute to them their authorship. while no such difﬁculty arises if we take these Risis as only their seers and not their authors. How can we, otherwise, save these Risis from the allegation of plagiarism. But such a charge becomes incongiuous with the concept of the Risi as deﬁned in the Scriptures.

WHO ARE RISIS?

In Yajurveda’s 34-49 Rishis have been described as follows-

(Those who study together the religious yore, who read together the Vedas and enjoy happiness, who retum from the Gurukula after observing Brahmacharya and completing their studies, who are together advanced in knowledge, who are masters of seven Divine forces, are veritable Risis, the knowers of the Vedas. Such calm, wise persons, viewing the path of ancient sages, take up the reins of noble deeds, as on a highway, a chariot driver does.

Deﬁning Risis, it is stated in Mundaka :-

(i.e. Risis are those who, realising the Omniscience of God, are ﬁlled with knowledge and lead a contented, satisfied and peaceful life.)

Yaskaracharya in Nirukta deﬁnes Risis as :

साक्षात्कृतधर्माण ऋषयो बभूवु: |

(Risis are those who realise the true religion)

It is unfortunate that the late Kanhaya Lal Munshí attributed to them the authority of mantras (which he did not even understand) and wrote thus about them in the preface to “Lopamudra “ :-“Risis who had ﬂat noses were black in colour and lived on the charity of presents of Das and Dasis. They were usually intoxicated throughout the day and night and often betrayed a ﬁt of anger. They praised those who made the offering of cows. They were sometimes extremely jealous of each other and in anger, tried to invoke the gods for their wrath on their adversaries.

“The young among them tried to attraet the opposite sex by their gesticulations and exhibitionism. They wrote mantras with a motive to captivate the hearts of the young maidens.”

When our readers compare the description of the Risis given in Lopamudra with that which emerges from the Vedas, Upanishads and Nirukta, they will themselves know the reality. lt will be evident then that the Risis, as described in the Vedas and the Upanishads cannot be “greedy, full of anger, and lustful” as depicted in Lopamudra. The picture of the Risis delineated in this book is highly condemnable.

The allegation that “the Risis used to compose mantras to allure the beautiful women is highly insulting, particularly as it has not been substantiated by the text of the Scriptures. How can the allegation be accepted when it is not in harmony with the true concept of the Risis?

We have already given a number of quotations from ancient literature deﬁning the true character of the Rishis. The Risis picked up such names from the Vedas as appealed to them because of their deravative meaning. lt was just like followers of a religious faith choosing from their Scriptures, names for their spiritual heads. Or their new borns as being witnessed at all times. Besides, there are hundreds of examples to show that these names are generally imaginative or are just nick names.

It is generally observed that if a person is devoted to some

cause or a mission he becomes so much indentiﬁed with it that he

is sometimes named after it. For example, Mahatma Munshi Ram ji, who sacriﬁced his life for the Gurukula Kangri (which he had founded), had come to be known as Gurukula himself. “Here comes

the Gurukula”, people used to say when he arrived at any place.

A man had come to be known as .JayantiPrasad for he was working for the golden jubilee celebrations of the Gurukula.

The same is true of how the Risis came to be known by the names occurring in the Vedas.

The names ofthe Risis also had similar origin in many cases. Hundreds of examples can be given to prove the above contention leaving no scope for any misunderstanding.

Rigveda’s 10.90 is called “Purush Sukta “ which begins with:-

This sukta, which gives a description of God and his creation has appropriately “Narayana ” as its Risi.

The word Naryan is synonym for God. The root of this word has been given thus in Manusmriti :–

Rigveda’s 10.97 is devoted to praise of medical science and its Risi accordingly is “Bhishaq ” (i.e. a doctor)

Rigveda”s 10.101 has its theme as विश्वे देवा ऋत्विजो वा I lt is, therefore, quite appropriate, that its Risi is बुध: सौम्य: (an intellectual and sober person).

The risi of Rigveda`s 10.106 is दिव्यो दक्षिणा वा (giver of charity) which is quite in keeping with the spirit of its content which deals with the importance of donations.

Rigvedafs 10.117 is in praise of charity of money and food grains and its Risi is भिक्षु:I

It is quite logical that Rigveda’s 10-121 which has Hiranyagarbha as its Risi, should deal with God, the Giver of happiness.

Likewise अग्नि: (Fire) is both the theme and the Risi of RigVeda’s l0-124.

In Rigveda’s 10-125 also, the subject matter and Rishi are the same. ( वागामभ्रूणी )

The famous hymn of Rigveda`s 10.190 which begins with ऋतं च सत्यं चाभीध्दात तपसोSध्यजायत | gives an account of the creation and its order and teaches us to refrain from committing sins. Its Rishi is ‘अघमर्षण’ because the way to save oneself from sins is meditation on God.

Another well-known hymn of Ri gveda’ s 10.191 contains such mantras as ‘संगच्छध्वं, संवद्ध्वम सं वो मनांसि जानताम etc, calling for unity and friendship among all. The Rishi of this hymn is ‘संवनन: ‘(one who is friendly to all).

In his introduction to Rigveda’s commentary, Swami Dayanand raises the question : Why should we not believe that Rishis, whose names occur at the top of mantras, or hymns in the Vedas, were their authors and replies :

(lt is not correct to believe so. Even Brahma listened to the Vedas and studied them. Brahma possessed the Vedas even before the Rishis were born.

Swami Dayanand’s view, given above, has been endorsed by Svetasvatra upanishad(6-18) :

||इति||

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

English, Vedic Religion

Vedas-the Divine Revelation

March 2, 2014 rdhoot 1 Comment

Vedas-the Divine Revelation

From the Book- The Veda-Myth and Reality( A reply to Vedic Age )

Author – Pt Dharmadev Vidyamartand

Are Vedas the manifestation of Divine revelation?

And is it necessary to believe in Divine revelation at all?

According to the evolution theory, man went on gaining knowledge gradually. Why then to believe in the Divine revelation?

One cannot attain knowledge unless there is someone to impart it. If it were not so, there would have been no need to open schools and colleges. People would have attained the knowledge themselves.

But it is evident that we cannot gain knowledge until and unless we are taught by our teachers, parents or by others.

Some experiments have been carried out from time to time in this connection. Worth mentioning among them are those carried out by King Asurvant of Syria, King James (lIVth) of Scotland, King

Semetical of Greece, King Fredrick IInd of Germany and by Emperor Akbar of India. During these experiments newly born children were kept in forests and brought up by nurses who were ,deaf and dumb. Consequently the children could not learn any language and their behaviour came to resemble that of animals.

There has been one instance of a child born in Gandhi Hospital Lucknow, who brought up by a Wolf, walked, talked and ate like animals.

It is quite logical to believe that as a father instructs his child in the beginning, so also does God. He is our ﬁrst Benefactor who gave instructions in the form of the Vedas to all human beings at the time of creation to help them achieve physical, mental and spiritual progress. They were told about the ultimate aim of existence and also what was right and wrong.

Even a materialist like Haickel has acknowledges the possibility of Divine revelation when he says :-

“They may or they may not receive such information, but there is no scientific ground for dogmatism on the subject, nor any reason for asserting the inconceivability of such a thing”

Stressing the need for Divine revelation, Dr. Fleming, famous scientist of Europe, said :

“If we are to obtain more solid assurances, it cannot come to the mind of man groping feebly in the dim light of un-assisted reason, but only by a communication made directly from this Supreme to the ﬁnite mind of man. (Religion and Science by Seven men of Science.)

Just as it is absolutely necessary to frame laws and regulations to run an institution or a govemment or a factory, it is quite rational that God should give us in the form of Vedas, the enteral laws for our benefit. lt will be considered unjust to punish people for theft, drinking or corruption in a country where there are no laws prohibiting such practices. This is why God gave us the set of laws, which in the words of Vedas, are “Rita and Satya” at the dawn of creation.

Eminent philosophers like Plato and Kant have also spoken of

Divine revelation for guidance in religious and moral matters. Plato, in his book “Phaedo” says,

“We will wait for one, be he a God or an inspired man, to instruct us in religious duties and to dispel dankness.

“We must seize upon best human views in navigating the dangerous sea of life, if there is no safer or less perilous way, no stouter vessel of Divine revelation for making this Voyage”

The following dialogue of Plato-translated into English by Jowett-also emphasise the need for the Divine revelation:-

“A man should persevere until he has achieved one of two things : either he should discover, or be taught the Truth about them or, if this is impossible, I would have him take the best and most

irrefragable of human theories, and let this be the raft upon which he sails through life-though not without risk, as I admit, if he cannot ﬁnd some word of God which will more surely and safely carry

him through.”

Socrates of Greece also expressed similar sentiments :

“You may resign yourself to sleep, and give yourself up to despair, unless God in His goodness, shall vouchsafe to send you instruction”

Says the German philosopher Kant : “We may well cancede that if the Gospel had not previously taught the universal moral laws in their full purity, reason would not yet have attained so perfect an insight of them.” These lines accept the limitation of a human mind and the need for Divine revelation for the knowledge of the moral laws.

Those who do not recognise the need for the Divine revelation hold the view that being endowed with intelligence, they can discriminate between the right and the wrong, the good and the bad, the religious or the irreligious. Though we do not underscore the role of Conscience in such matters, we must emphasise that it cannot be taken as a final authority in regard to morality which is, to a great extent, determined by environment, social conditions and education and vary from person to person and place to place.

A child who is bom in a family of Aryans, Vaisyas or Jains, by nature, generally begins to hate meat; but a child who is born in a Kshatriya or Kayastha families (where meat is genarally considered normal part of food) is not prompted by his Conscience to abstain from animal food.

Kant has rightly said in his book “Metaphysics of Morals“ :

“Feelings which naturally differ in degree cannot furnish uniform standards of good and evil, nor has anyone a right to form judgment for others by his own feelings.”

Some people reject the need for Divine Revelation at the time of creation on the ground that such revelations have dawned front time to time on the devotees of God. They should, however,

remember that belief in such revelations has led to a great deal of exploitation of human weakness by those who were believed to be the incarnations of God.

Even if some persons were able to rely on Conscience, intelligence or inspiration for what is right or wrong, it is difﬁcult to acquire the knowledge of the Ultimate end, of the true nature of “Jiva”, (soul), “Brahma” (God), Prakriti” (Matter) and the way to achieve emancipation etc.

Materialists hold the view that a man knows about his duties and obligations by merely observing Nature. If this were the case. no race would have been found in barbarious state. The book of Nature is open to everybody. But to read this book and to understand its mysteries, is not everybody’s business.

lf others (not knowing fully what Nature truly reveals to us) begin to follow such aspects of Nature as “Survival of the fittest”, morality and universal brotherhood will be simply wiped out from the world. Therefore it will be a great blunder to consider Nature as the only source of ethical education.

Before directly answering the question why we should regard Vedas as Divine revelation and not the Bible, the Quaran, Zind Avasta, we would like to present before the readers some of the tribute paid to the Vedas by impartial scholars belonging to different faiths.

Farzoon Dadachanji. a Farsi scholar, in his book Philosophy of Zorozstrianism and Comparative Study of Relígions writes:-

“Veda is Book of Knowledge and Wisdom comprising the Book of Nature, the Book of Religion, the Book of Prayers, the Book of Morals and so on. The word ‘Veda’ means” wit, wisdom. Knowledge; and truly, Veda is condensed Book of Wit, Wisdom and knowledge.”

Akhtab’s son and Turfa’s grandson Lavy, an Arabian poet, who ﬂourished 2, 500 years before Mohammed. wrote n beautiful poem in praise of the Vedas which throws light on the esteem in which

the people of Samatic race, held the Vedas till 1800 B.C.

(The poem is included in Asmai’s Anthology named Malaltus-shara (siral Ukul):

(“Oh, blessed land of Hind (India) Thou art worthy of rever- ence for in Thee has God revealed True knowledge of Himself.)

“What e pure light do these four revealed books afford to our mind’s eyes like the (charming and cool) lustre of the down? These four, God revealed to His prophets (Risis) in Hind.

“And he thus teaches ell races of mankind that inhabit His earth: “Observe (in your lives) the knowledge I have revealed in the vedas for surely God has revealed them.

“Those treasures and the “Sama” and “Yajur” which God has published. O my brothers! Revere these, for they tell us the good news of salvation.

“The two next, of these four, Rig and Atharva teach us lessons of (universal) brotherhood. These two (Vedas) are the beacons that show us the path of universal brotherhood.”)

Aurangzeb”s elder brother, Darashikoh, who was a great scholar, read scriptures of different faiths which were supposed to be Divine revelations. Among the books he studied besides Quran were old

Testament, New Testament and the Book of Psalms. But none of them satisﬁed him as did the Vedas about which he writes :

“After gradual research, I have come to the conclusion that long before all heavenly books, God had revealed to the Hindus, through the Risis of Yore (of whom Brahma was the Chief) His four books of knowledge, the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samveda, the Atharva Veda.” Darashikoh was conﬁdent that these Vedas which enunciated the oneness of God existed in the ancient time and that Upanishads

were based on them. He studied Sanskrit and had acquired so much knowledge that he could understand the true meaning of the Vedic mantras and Upanishads.

He also found reference to the Vedas (being revealed by God) in Quran. In his opinion, some verses in Quran were just the reproduction of the teachings of the Upanishads which have

ultimately been derived from the Vedas.

Though most of the Western Vedic scholars were not impartial as their main motive was to establish the superiority of Chrstianity over Hindu religion, yet there were a few in Europe who sang the glory of the Vedas.

Co-discoveror of the evolution theory in the material world, Dr. Alfred R. Wallace, writes in his famous book “Social Environment and Moral Progress: ” :

“In the earliest records which have come down to us from the past, we find ample indications that accepted standard of morality and the conduct resulting from these were in no degree inferior to

those which prevail today, though in some respects they differed from ours. The wonderful collection of hymns known as the Vedas is a vast system of religious teachings as pure and lofty as those of the ﬁnest portions of the Hebrew Scriptures. lts authors were fully our equals in their conception of universe and the Deity expressed in finest poetic language”

“In it we find many of the essential teachings of the most advanced religious thinkers.”

“We must admit that the mind which conceived and expressed in appropriate language such ideas, as are everywhere present in those Vedic hymns, could not have been inferior to those of the best of our religious teachers and poets, to our Milton, Shakespeare and Tennyson.”

What could be a better criticism of social evolution theory than this? Where is the scope for social evolution if the teachings of Vedas, which, in the famous words of Max Muller, are the “oldest books in the library of mankind and” are as lofty and pure as the finest portions of Bible ?

This belief expressed by one of the discoverers to the evolution theory himself will force others, who deny the existence of revealed knowledge on the basis of this theory, to change their mind.

Rev. Morris Philip in his book “The Teachings of the Vedas “ has in the following words, accepted the revealed nature of the Vedas-

“After the latest researches into the history and chronology of books of Old Testament, we may safely now call the Rigveda as the oldest book, not only of the Aryan humanity, but of the whole worlds.

“It is evident then (I) that the higher up towards the source of the Vedic religion we push our enquiries, the purer, simpler do we come to ﬁnd the conception of God, and that (II) in proportion as we come down the stream of time, the more corrupt and complex we ﬁnd it. We conclude, therefore, that the Vedic Aryans did not acquire their knowledge of the divine attributes and functions empirically, in that case, we should find at the end what we now find in the beginning. Hence we must seek for a theory which will account alike for the acquisition of that knowledge, the God-like conception of Varuna, and for that gradual depravation in which (it eventually) culminated.”

“We have pushed our enquiries as far back in time as the records would permit, and we have found that the religious and speculative thought of the people was far purer, simpler and more rational at the farthest point we reached, than at the nearest and the latest in the Vedic age.

“The conclusion, therefore, is inevitable viz, that the development of religious thought in India has been uniformly downwards, and not upward, deterioration and not evolution. We are justified, therefore, in concluding that higher and purer conceptions of the Vedic Aryans were the results of a primitive

Divine revelation.”

It can’t be said about Rev. Morris that he had fully understood the principles of the Vedic Dharma. There are many errors in his book which will be pointed out later. But his faith in monotheism in Vedas is very signiﬁcant.

A well-known scholar, poet and philosopher -James Cousins writes in “Path to Peace”: “To love, to think, to do-are in the Vedic conception, no transitory futurities touched with melancholy, but simulations of the cosmic dancing shadows cast by the Light of lights. But they are cast by the Light, not by Darkness and in that light, that vision of the Eternal, shining through the temporal, humanity can find an ideal which would replace a periodical sanctimoniousness by a perpetual sense of the sanctity of all life.

On that (Vedic) ideal alone, with its inclusiveness, which weans hatred away from itself, it is possible to rear a new earth in the image and likeness of the eternal Heavens.”

Cousins was so impressed by the Indian Scriptures that he changed his name to “Kulapati Jaya Ram” and passed his remaining life with his wife in the pursuit of the Vedic ideals.

Prof. J. Moscaro of the University of Barcelone, has described the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita, as the highest summit of the Wisdom :-

“If a Bible of India were compiled, if Sanskrit could find a group of translators with the same feeling for the sacred texts in the original as the Bible has found in England, eternal treasures of old Wisdom and poetry would enrich the times of today.

Among those compositions-some of them living words before writing was introduced -the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita would rise above the rest like the Himalayas of the

spirit of man.”

What Mr. W.D. Brown, an English scholar, has stated about Vedas in his book “Superiority of the Vedic Religion” is worth writing in golden letters :

“lt (Vedic Religion) recognises but One God. lt is a thoroughly scientific religion where religion and science meet hand in hand. Here theology is based upon science and philosophy.” This is how well-known German philosopher Schopenhauer, expressed in the following words, his sentiments about the

Ishopanishad (which is the 40″‘ chapter of Yajurveda):-

“In the whole world, there is no study so beneﬁcial and elevating as the Upanishad. lt has been the solace of my life. lt will be the solace at my death”

Ragozin in his book “Vedíc India ” also ackowleged the sublime nature of Vedas (though some of his ideas about Yajnas are erroneous). He writes :-

“Vedic hymns greatly confirm us in the impression that the Aryan moral code, as mirrored in the Rigveda, bore on the whole, a singularly pure and elevated character. So nothing can be more

beautiful in feeling and wording than on alms giving or rather on

the duty of giving or helping generally.”

French author Jacolliot, who made a comparative study of

different religions in his book “The Bible in India “, writes :- “Astonishing fact! The Hindu revelation (Veda) is of all revelations the only one whose ideas are in perfect harmony with Modern Science, as it proclaims the slow and gradual formation of the world.”

Jacolliot’s statement that among the revealed books, only the Veda teachings are in harmony with scientific thoughts is very significant. Take for example, what the Bible says about the creation of the world.

God said, let there be light and there was light. (Genesis-3) According to chapter 1^st of Genesis, it took God six days to create the world and according to the next chapter, He took rest on the seventh day :-

“And on the Seventh day, God ended his work which he had made, and he rested on the Seventh day from all his work which he had made.”

Whatever God did afterwards was like an ordinary man with all human weakness which philosophy, testifies as the “Anthropomorphic conception of God.”

It is stated in the third chapter of Genesis :-

“Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden”

Then, God repented after creating this world, according to the sixth chapter of Genesis :-

“And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth and it grieved Him at his heart, And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth for it repented

me that I have made him.”

The eleventh chapter of Genesis betrays his jealousies:

“Lord came down to see the city and the tower, and the Lord said, “Behold, the people is one and they have all one language and this they have begun to do and now, nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

“Go to, let us go down and there confound their language that they may not understand one another’s speech”

“So the Lord scattered them abroad and they left off to build the city.”

And then there are descriptions of God Wrestling with Jacob- taking beef at Abraham” s house….

Scientiﬁc and rational scholars can never be satisﬁed with this anthropomorphic conception of God. C.S. Middleman writes :-

“Such anthropomorphism is childish.”

In reply to the question, “Do you think that science negates the idea of a Personal God? Prof. J .B. Kohn, a well-known scientist, said,” I think it does assume the Personal God to have human attributes”

Replying to the same question, Physicist C.C. Farr, another scientist, said :-

“The idea of a Personal God as taught by Jesus Christ would seem to be very different from the conception of scientific men. I see no realisation of studendous magniﬁcance which must be ascribed to the power behind the universe in Jesus’s teaching and the teaching of the church today.”

One of the main objections of scientists against the Biblical conception of creation is that the existence came out of nothing. But according to the Vedic religion, it took its birth from the matter.

God is only its efﬁcient cause like potter, a blacksmith or a goldsmith. There can be no objection to this conception of creation from the philosophical or scientiﬁc point of view.

Another objection against the Biblical conception of creation is regarding the division of day and night before the sun or moon were born.

On the ﬁrst day, the day and the night were made as evident from the ﬁrst chapter of Genesis :-

“God saw the light, that it was good and God divided the light from the darkness.

“And called the light day and darkness He called the night. And the evening and the morning were the ﬁrst day.”

But the sun and moon were created on the fourth day as stated in the 4^th chapter of the Genesis :-

“And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the- day and the lesser light to rule the night, he made the stars also.”

“And God set them in the ﬁrmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth.

“And to rule over the day and over the night and to divide the light from the darkness, and God saw that it was good.

“And the evening and the morning were made on the fourth day.”

Moreover there are many things in the Bible which are against intellect, reason and science such as :-

(i) That Christ was born of Virgin Mary.

(ii) That earth is ﬂat and not round.

(m) That Christ turned water into wine.

(iv) That Christ satisfied hunger of 4,000 people from just 4 leaves.

(v) That Christ raised Lazarus from the grave after three days.

Galileo, a scientist from Spain, was brought before Inquistion Court and punished for his statement that the earth is round and that it revolves round the sun.

The following was the verdict of the court :-

“The first proposition that the sun is the center and does not revolve about the earth is foolish, absured, false in theology and heretical because expressly contrary to the Holy Scriptures… And the second proposition that the earth is not the center but revolves about the sun is absurd, false in philosophy and from a theological point of view, at least, opposed to the true faith.”

Many atrocities had been committed on Galileo for stating the scientific truth that the earth is round. He was sentenced to 4 year rigorous imprisonment. He died in jail.

Bruno, another scientist, had been meted out the worst treatment for stating that the earth is round and proving that there are many worlds. On Feb. l6 1600, he was burnt to death. While dying he said smilingly :-

“It is with greater fear that you pass sentence upon me rather than I receive it.” Reader may refer to the well-known book “The History of the Conﬂict Between Religion and Science” by William Draper for

the injustice done to scientists and philosphers like Hypatia, Nester, Arius etc for expressing minor differences of opinion on the Christian principles. Dr. Barnes, Bishop of Birmingham, in his

broadcast (reproduced on “The Religion and Science”) maintained that where there is a conﬂict between religion and science, the latter is to prevail :

“Now before I speak of such possibility of conflict, I wish to make it quite clear that many beliefs associated With religious faith in the past must be abandoned. They have had to meet the direct

challenge of Science and I believe, it is true to say, that in every such direct battle since the Renaissance, science has been the victor.

Let me give definite instances :-

(i) First, the earth is not the fixed center of the universe; it is merely the moving satellite of a sun which resembles innumerable other suns.

(ii) Secondly, man was not especially created.

(iii) Thirdly, no priest, by ritual or formula, can attribute spiritual properties to inanimate matter.

(iv) Fourthly, if by miracles, we mean large-scale breaches in the uniformity of nature, such miracles do not occur in human experience. Here are four typical results of scientific investigations which at length all must accept”

Dr. Mazley in the course of his Bampton lectures had said, “If miracles are denied, all Christianity, so far as it has any title to that name, so far as it has any special relation to Christ, is overthrown.”

There is nothing against the laws of Nature of Science in the Vedas. God has been described in the Vedas at several places as ‘Satya Dharma ‘, one whose laws are etemal. These laws are called “ऋत” (Rit) which means true and eternal.

Not only that, Vedic religion and science are in absolute harmony with each other, Vedas are also the origin of all sciences and the religions. “Veda” means knowledge, both material and spiritual, for the benefit of the mankind. The fundamentals of aeronautics, astrology, art, medicine and electricity are present in the Vedas.

DIVINE REVELATION AND ITS MEDIUM

Even while some scholars consider the knowledge contained in the Vedas to be Divinely revealed, they hold the view that the language in which it is expressed is that of Risis. But if we go deep into this matter, we will ﬁnd it fallacious.

The basic issue is : What was the form in which this Divine knowledge was revealed to the Risis?

What is the proof that the Risis presented that knowledge in its pure form without allowing it to be tampered with their own imagination?

Is it believable at all that the Vedic Language which is so perfect and is the mother of all languages, should be the result of any human effort?

Moreover if we concur with the philologists that thought and language are interdependent, we cannot but reach the conclusion that even the language of the Vedas was Divine.

Herder, a philosogist, for instance, says,

“Without language, it is impossible to concieve philosophical nay, even any human consciousness.”

In the words of Herdcr: “We think in names.”

Says, Sir William Hamilton, “Words are the fortress of thoughts, unless thought be accompanied at each point of its evolution by a corresponding evolution of language, its further development is arrested.”

German scholar Von Humolt has rightly observed:

“If we separate intellect and language, such a seperation does not exist in reality.”

Says another scholar Shleel Maker : “Thinking and speaking are so entirely one that one can only distinguish them as internal and extemal, every thought is already a word.”

In his famous book “The Science 0fLanguage,” Max Muller has expressed the view that this relationship is the basis of all exact philosophy :- “We think in words; so words must become the character of all exact philosophy in future” “We never meet with articulate sounds except as wedded to determinate ideas nor do we ever, I believe, meet with determinate ideas; except as embodied in articulate sounds. I, therefore, declare my conviction as explicitly as possible that thought in the sense of reasoning is not possible.”

This theory is fully supported by our ancient literature. For instance, the following aphorism, in the “Mimansa” bears testimony to this thought-language relationship :

Poet Kalidas also writes in Raghuvansh :-

Maharshi Vyas, in his commentary of the Yogsutras (I. 27),

also fully supports this view in the following words :-

On comparison of languages it will appear that the Vedic language is not only the mother of Indian but also of all foreign languages.

Baron Cuvier, for instance, writes :-

“It (Sanskrit) is the most regular language known and is especially remarkable, as containing the roots of the various languages of Europe like Greek, Latin, German, Slavonic.” Yaska, the author of the Nirukta, has also given multi meanings of several mantras.

This magic, with which the mantras in the Vedas, have been endowed with the spiritual, cosmic and social meaning puzzles even the minds of the greatest scholars and commentators of the Vedas, he says. As per Visvamitra where the names of these Rishis do not fall into a category as in the Atharvaveda, they should be taken as characters or spokesmen in a great epic as in a Panchtantra story, specially coined to convey certain complicated ideas in a simple form. In the Panchtantra, great truths have been revealed through such characters as a lion, a Jackal, monkey etc. Everybody knows that these creatures cannot otherwise speak

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