Category Archives: Vedic Religion

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.

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)

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||

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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

English, Myth Busters, Vedic Religion

Response on Dr. Ambedkar’s DIFFICULTY OF KNOWING WHY ONE IS A HINDU

January 10, 2014 Rishwa Arya 1 Comment

RIDDLE No. 1

Response on Dr. Ambedkar’s DIFFICULTY OF KNOWING WHY ONE IS A HINDU

By Rishwa Arya

People of India are called Arya. After arrival of Muslims “Arya” word was replaced by the “Hindu” word and the mass people who were follower of Vedas and was living in Bharatvarsh were called as “Hindus”. In the later time period people came to this land from different parts of the world and settled down. These people were follower of different sects. People of India provided safe haven to these groups to settle down in India and not only allowed to trade but also allowed to freely discuss their views about the their sect. As a result they were successful to get follower of their sect on this land. It was the open heartiness of people of India which allowed to mushroom these sects in India. Contrary to other parts of world freedom of expression about the views of religion played instrumental roles in providing place for spreading different sects on this land. Resulted India is called conjeries of communites by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

He says that “India is a conjeries of communities. There are in it Parsis, Christians, Mohammedans and Hindus. The basis of these communities is not racial. It is of course religious. This is a superficial view. What is interesting to know is why is a Parsi a Parsi and why is a Christian a Christian, why is a Muslim a Muslim and why is a Hindu a Hindu? With regard to the Parsi, the Christian and the Muslim it is smooth sailing. Ask a Parsi why he calls himself a Parsi he will have no difficulty in answering the question. He will say he is a Parsi because he is a follower of Zoraster. Ask the same question to a Christian. He too will have no difficulty in answering the question. He is a Christian because he believes in Jesus Christ. Put the same question to a Muslim. He too will have no hesitation in answering it. He will say he is a believer in Islam and that is why he is a Muslim.

Now ask the same question to a Hindu and there is no doubt that he will be completely bewildered and would not know what to say.”

He further adds to this that “If he says that “I am a Hindu because I hold to the beliefs of the Hindus” his answer cannot be right for here one is confronted with the fact that Hinduism has no definite creed. The beliefs of persons who are by all admitted to be Hindus often differ more widely from each other than do those of Christians and Muhammadans.

Before going into further discussion it’s necessary to discuss meaning of “Religion” and its origin.

Swami Dayanand writes in “A statement of my belief” that “The practice of equitable justice together with that of truthfulness in word, deed and thought and the like (virtues) – in a word, that which is in conformity with the Will of God, as embodied in the Vedas – even that I call Dharma (right). “.

He further explain the Dharma elaborated in the Vedas in his “An Introduction to the Commentary on the Vedas” that:

सं गच्छध्वं सं वदध्वं सं वो मनांसि जानताम।

देवा भागं यथा पूर्वे संजानाना उपासते।।

ऋ ८.८. ४९.२

God Ordains: Acquire duly the Dharma preached by me which is justly devoid of bias and partiality and refulgent with truthful characteristics. Combine together giving up all dissensions so that your best happiness may increase and all suffering may be destroyed. Having combined together hold discussions, loving putting questions and answering them and avoiding perverse reasoning such as sophistry, captious and fallacious arguments, so that boble qualities and true knowledge may ever increase amongst you. Acquire wisdom and so exert yourselves that your minds may be shocked with knowledge and be always filled with joy. Always follow dharma and never practice Adharma. You should follow the same Dharma as was followed by the learned, wise and impartial men, whether of past times or of the present age, i.e. whether dead or living, having a love for the preaching of the Divine Dharma. They worshipped me as the Almighty and adorable God and followed the Dharma laid down by me. You also must do the same so that you may know the Dharma inculcated by the Vedas and have no doubts about it. Rigveda 8.8.49.2

Further Vedas explains:

यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मनि एव अनुपश्यति।

सर्व भूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते।

यजु. ४० /६

Whoever sees all thing in the self (God) and the self (God) in all the things, hates none.

This is the root of religion and was explains by the originators of the various sects. Being Kindness helpful and generous are the basic element of religion and is elaborated in different literature worldwide by different sects.

In the Mahabarat Vedvyas explains meaning of Dharma to Yudishthir as

“आत्मनः प्रतिकूलानि परेषां न समाचरेत। महाभारत अनु ११३/ ६”

Don’t behave with others in manner you don’t want to be get treated with others.

The same principle of equivalent which is explained in Vedas and other Aryan literature was borrowed by Mahatma Buddha. Preaching his followers he explains:

यथा अहम् तथा एते यथा एते तथा अहम्

अत्तानं उपमं कत्वा न हन्येन न घातये। सुत्तनिपात नालकसुत्त २७

As I am same are the others hence thinking about the impact of your act on yourself don’t kill or allow to kill others.

Second line of this Shloka is repeated two times in Dhammpada in shlok 126 and 130

In the same manner as Mahatma Buddha borrowed the principle of equivalent behavior from the Aryan texts other sects with Persians and Christion’s has also followed the same way.

Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. Matthew 22-39

Treat others as you want them to treat you. Luke 6-31

Teaching of Christ mentioned in Matthew and Luke are the retranslation of the Vedic principle of:

यस्तु सर्वाणि भूतानि आत्मनि एव अनुपश्यति।

सर्व भूतेषु चात्मानं ततो न विजुगुप्सते।

यजु. ४० /६

Whoever sees all thing in the self (God) and the self (God) in all the things, hates none.

Swami Vidyanand Saraswati writes in “Adhyatm Meemansa that this principle of Dharma spread from the Vedic Text in the different sects whether it is Christ or the Arastu or the Confushiyas .

Study of all sects started by different philosophers find its root casus in the Vedic Texts. These principle of the religions were not established by a particular person but are as old as the human race is. In the lite of above facts claim that the principle of equivalent behavior and humanity, i.e. considered as the backbone of religion, was not in existence at the beginning of the human race looks awkward. These principles are found in the Vedas which are anonymously considered as the oldest book of the human civilization.

In the fact of above claim of Dr. Ambedkar that “Hinduism has no definite creed” doesn’t stand anywhere. Whether principles of devoid of biasness and partiality and refulgent with truthful characteristics are not the creed of religion? Whether these principles are not well established from the beginning of the civilization? Whether any one can say the principle of humanity was started by a particular person or sect and others have followed this principle? These principles of Vedic religion are as old as the life. These principles are not fundamental are not deprived of any sect to grow and elaborate.

English, Vedic Religion

NISHKAMA KARMA-DISINTERESTED ACTION By Dr. Satyavrat Siddhantalankar

January 9, 2014 Rishwa Arya Leave a comment

NISHKAMA KARMA-DISINTERESTED ACTION

By Dr. Satyavrat Siddhantalankar

Vedic Culture

WE HAVE already observed that the way of life prescribed by Vedic culture was one of ‘Enjoyment-Renunciation.’ What does this phrase ‘Enjoyment-Renunciation’ means? It means that as the worldof beauty and attraction is palpable, real, and actually exists, we should enjoy it; but as all this gradually fades into unreality and slips out of our hands there should come a time in our lives when we should voluntarily renounce it. We should be of the world but not be ‘too much of it, we may live at life of attachment but live it in a detached, dispassionate, and unconcerned manner.

There is a great difference between living with some longings, desires, and cravings always haunting us day and night, thus making our lives restless and miserable, and living free from them in a serene mood and performing our duties for the sake oi‘ performing them. “This difference has been stressed in Vedic literature in which the Gita occupies the ﬁrst and foremost place. The Gita is the biggest diamond in the entire mound of Vedic gems, placed as it were on its very top, whose facets will ever shine and continue to attract the hearts of men through the lights, the mists, and the darknesses of all eternity. The Gita which is based on the Upanishads has inﬂuenced indian thought for centuries and moulded the lives of our people.

Time was when the teachings of selﬂess action contained in the Upanishuds were misinterpreted and bracketed with inaction and thus the quintessence of spiritualism was narrowed clown to the renunciation of the world, the wearing of saffron robes, and sitting idle at home. This development naturally can caused concern among the philosophers and thinkers of the day. And it was thus that the Gita was written to present the philosophy enunciated in the Upanishnds, the Vedanta, and other religious scriptures in its true perspective, and to emphasize that what was required was the renunciation of the desire for the fruits of our actions and not the acts themselves. Hence it came about that the Gita. replaced the prevailing theory of inaction by a dynamically novel theory of disinterested action or Nishkam Karma. The Gita presented to the world the central thought of Indian culture at a time when it had almost fallen into oblivion. .

The central thought of the Upanishads, of the Vedanta, of all that is pure and noble in Vedic culture, is that in the world of matter Brahma or God is the ultimate reality, and that Atma is the reality as well as the truth in our bodily existence and life. Although the existence of this world of matter and the body cannot be denied. Yet the truth is that behind this body there is the spirit or the soul, and that behind the physical world lurks the Spirit Supreme. The body and the physical world are beyond 21 reasonable doubt real but it is also true that the spirit and the Spirit Supreme are far more real, and it is for the latter that the Former exist.

T he Gita upholds: the body is a reality, so make use of it and enjoy it with the help of the senses, but remember that the ultimate reality is not the body but the spirit, so do not be too much involved with the senses. The world of matter is also a reality, so indulge in the pleasures that it offers, but remember that the ultimate reality is not the material world but the Spirit Supreme that animates it, so prepare yourself also to renounce the world. It is at mistake to think that the Upanishads and the Vedanta teach the philosophy of inaction. Vedic culture as propounded in the Gita imparts to the world the philosophy of disinterested action, selﬂess action, in place of inaction or selﬁsh action. The Gita. thus dispelled the clouds of misconception which had darkened the outlook and paralysed the social machinery for centuries.

Arjuna’s Stand of Inaction or Renunciation

The conception of selﬂess disinterested action is the rock on which the ediﬁce of Vedic culture stands, and since this ideal no where ﬁnds better expression than in the Gita, we shall devote this entire chapter to its discussion and also give copious quotations from the text.

The Gita begins with Dhritarashtra’s address to Sanjaya: ‘Sanjaya, assembled on the holy ﬁeld of Kurukshetra, eager to light, what did my children and the children of Pandu do?“

In the course of an answer giving an eye-witness account of the battleﬁeld, Sanjay says: ‘O Lord, when the ﬁght was about to start, Arjuna asked Shri Krishna to place his chariot between the two armies confronting each other and keep it there till he observed those with whom he had to ﬁght. Shri Krishna acceded to his request. When Arjuna turned his eyes all around he saw his own kith and kin assembled to ﬁght against him. At the sight of these kinsmen thus arrayed and longing for battle his limbs gave way, his frame shook, and his hair stood on end. He conﬁded to Shri Krishna saying’:

‘The bow, Gandiva, drops from my hand and my skin burns all over. My mind is reeling as it were, and I am not able even to stand. l covet not victory, nor kingdoms, nor pleasures. Govinda, of what use will kingdom. or luxuries, or even life be to me if l gain the whole world and lose my own kith and kin?

On seeing Arjuna thus giving way to despondency, Shri Krishna said: ‘Arjuna, how hast this infatuation overtaken thee at this odd hour? Such a mental state is shunned by noble souls; neither will it bring heaven nor lame to thee. ‘Yield not to unmanliness, Arjuna; ill does it become thee‘ Shaking oil‘ this paltry faint-heartedness arise, O scorcher of thy enemies.’-“

Shri Krishna’s Stand of Disinterestedness

Who would not have begun to consider the world as false and treacherous, a place full of Maya, after seeing close relations who had played and laughed with one another in their infancy as well as aged together now arrayed on the battleﬁeld for power and pelf, each thirsting For the other’s blood? Centuries ago this made Arjuna disgusted with earthly existence. Even today if one were to view life in a background one would ﬁnd oneself in a similar frame of mind. .t was Shri Krishna’s teachings as contained in the Gita that infused new life into the despondent Arjuna and brought him back to the battleﬁeld after he had decided to renounce the world.

What did Shri Krishna teach? Did he tell Arjuna that this world was a place of enjoyment and therefore he should kill his kith and kin and indulge himself in worldly pleasures? No. What he taught was entirely different. “The arguments he put forward to convince Arjuna to stick to the battleﬁeld were not materialistic. In fact, they were as much spiritual in nature as were the arguments advanced by Arjuna for not ﬁghting. Shri Krishna also, like Arjuna, spoke of the body as being perishable; he said that death was nothing but a casting aside of the body like the change of worn-out clothes, and that it was only the Anna which is eternal and everlasting While the body is perishable and Short-lived. But wherein, then, lay the difference between the outlook of Arjuna and Shri Krishna?

The protagonists of stark spiritualism regard the world as unreal, as a sort of a show or a fair, only to be shunned, and hence run away from it. Arjuna had also for the time being fallen in tune with this strain. However, Shri Krishna as an exponent of Vedie culture never asks us to run away from the realities of life. According to the teachings of Shri Krishna, this world of matter is unsubstantial and transitory, but there is no suggestion in his gospel for renunciation; it no doubt regards the body as perishable, but it does not talk of idleness or inaction. The doctrine that Shri Krishna taught Arjuna was only the old Vedic idea of treating the World of matter and sense objects as solid and real, and thus to face rather than to run away from the problems of life, simultaneously stressing that the reality of the world beyond was also undisputed.

Krishna’s Stand was an Explanation of the Spiritual Secret

It is indeed a novel thought to regard this world as unsubstantial, and yet to live in it and enjoy it in all its fullness. It is a new ideology revealed to the world by Shri Krishna in his dialogue with Arjuna as set forth in the Gita and it is thus that he calls it a secret.

This World, for the materialists is both sovereign and supreme, and therefore, it is but natural and reasonable that they should cling on to this earthly existence. it is also fair and reasonable for the spiritualists to try to escape from the world because they always think of it as untrue, transitory, and unsubstantial.

But the novel idea propounded by Shri Krishna in his Gita is to regard this world as false, unsubstantial, and transitory and yet to face its problems, to dive deep into worldly matters, and not to run away from them. And it is this which should be the only true and correct approach despite its apparent contradiction.

Shri Krishna realized that persons with less intelligence would ﬁnd this idea to be both confusing as well as self-contradictory. And it was for this reason that he described it as a secret, and regarded it as a conception of immortal Yoga which could not be understood without the guidance of a spiritual teacher. He says: ‘I taught this immortal Yoga to Vivaswan (Sun~god); Vivaswan conveyed it to Mann (his son); and Manu imparted it to his son Ikswaku.

‘Thus handed down from father to son, Arjuna, this Yoga remained known to the Rajarshis (royal sages). With a long lapse of time, however, it has more or less disappeared. ‘The same ancient Yoga has this day been imparted to you by Me, because you are My devotee and friend and also because this is a supreme secret.

It is clear from this part of the Gita that this novel proposition of regarding the world of matter s being ultimately ephemeral, and yet to live in it and enjoy it in all its fullness, though seemingly contradictory had been attempted to be reconciled by a series of mystic teachers from Vivaswan downwards.”It is the reconciliation of this contradiction which has been called a secret, a Yoga a mystic method traditionally revealed by the teacher to his disciple, and handed down from sire to son. Shri Krishna says that the secret of reconciling the reality with the unreality, taught by the saints and sages of Vedic culture, had been lost and therefore contradictory ideologies of materialism and spiritualism had sprung up which pulled one against the other. This was the secret revealed by Shri Krishna to Arjuna in the course of his teachings enshrined in the Gita, and described therein as a path of Karma Yoga or Nishkam Karma. Shri Krishna, however, made it abundantly clear that he was not evolving some new principle, but was merely revealing an old secret by letting it ﬂy out of the box wherein it had laid hidden for centuries and was thus covered with the dust of misconception. This was the secret message of Vedic culture which the people had been receiving from time to time, sometime through Vivaswan, sometime through Manu, sometime through Ikswaku, and it was the same secret which was delivered, for the last time, by Shri Krishna to Arjuna during the frustrated condition of his mind.

The Path of Yoga and the Path of Sankhya Philosophy Compared This secret teaching of the Gita can only be clearly understood through a comparative study and knowledge of the path of Yoga and the path of Sankhya. The Gita contains a clear out distinction between these two paths, because at the time the Gita was written these two approaches were considered as diametrically opposite to each other. The name given to the path of Yoga was the path of action (Karma Yoga or Karma Marga), whereas the synonym for the path of Sankhya was the path of inaction (Karma Sanyasa) or the path of knowledge (Jnyana Marga or Jnyana Yoga). The Gita states: ‘Arjuna, there are only two disciplines in the world-— the path of action and the path of knowledge. The path of action is called the path of Yoga and the path of knowledge is called thepath of Sankhya.’

It was not only during Krishna’s period that there existed these two disciplines. Nachiketa also referred to these two paths in Katha Upanishad and even today these two disciplines are at the root of the entire social structure. According to the Gita, the path of Yoga is superior to the path of Sankhya, the path of action is superior to the path of knowledge, Karma Yoga is superior to Jnyana Yoga. The exponents of the Sankhya philosophy who thought that they had delved deeply into the realms of knowledge taught inaction. They held the view that this world was unsubstantial, that work only generated miseries in life, and hence it should be renounced. Their philosophy was that if we do not work, wherefrom would the miseries come? Arjuna who was being persuaded to ﬁght and win an empire to rule over, naturally asked himself: Why, why, when all the things of the world are ﬂeeting‘? This world is unsubstantial; the one who is our brother today ﬁghts with us as our enemy tomorrow. What shall we do with the achievements of this world? It is far better to renounce than to be entangled in sense objects and to experience the resultant misery and sorrow.

Arjuna had started following the path of Sankhya or the path of inaction. On seeing this, Shri Krishna exhorted him not to speak the language of frustration He said that nothing could be achieved in this world, even the simple everyday dealings would be impossible if we try to escape from action. He stated: ‘Surely none can remain inactive even for a moment; every one is helplessly driven to action by nature, he may will it or not.

The Problem

Whatever the world may be, true or false, substantial or hollow, real or illusory, we have nevertheless been thrown into it; and hence it is impossible not to work, or to remain inactive, as advocated by the Sankhya exponents. But if we work, the consequent miseries would be inevitable. How can one get rid of or avoid them? This was the problem of Arjuna and this was the problem not of Arjuna alone, it is the universal problem that Faces each and every one of us.

Not the Renunciation of Action but the Renunciation of the Fruits of our Actions is the Solution to the Problem

The solution to this problem, given by Shri Krishna, is the essence of Vedic culture. The Gita poses the questions: why should we give up work or action? Why should we renounce /the World as demanded by the Sankhya school of philosophy? It is it because we are afraid that we might get attached to this world, and that this attachment might sweep us off our feet into the quicksands of entanglements in life? The Gita condemns this, and says that this attitude is neither beﬁtting us with regard to this World nor will it win us heaven in the next. Why should we not try to evolve some way which might enable us to work uninterrupted and yet not be bound up into its meshes of entanglement? Since it is an impossibility for us to live without doing work, why should we not devise a method which would enable us to lead a life of action and yet not be chained by it. We could then kill two birds with one stone. Is this not possible. The Gita holds out a positive answer which may be considered to be the beams of a. candle shining forth from the dark and dingy corners of entanglement. The Gita, the repository of Vedic wisdom, enunciates the theory of action but the highlight of this theory is that one should not be affected by the results of one‘s actions. It is advises us to remain in the world because once we are born there is no escape from it, but at the same time not to be lost in the world, to enjoy the world of senses without being led astray by the senses, to spin the yarn of Karma on the spinning wheel of life but not to lot at knot in it despoil the yarn. This advice of the Gita is called Karma Yoga or the Yoga of action or Nishkama Karma.

But it can one live in the world and still remain unattached? ls it possible to live a life of action and yet be free from its clutches? Whilst describing this advocated path of life whereby One lives in the world, acts, and yet is free from the Fruits of the act, the Gita says: ‘Your control can be only over the actions you perform, not over their results. Inactive by nature you cannot remain; while acting you cannot order the results to your liking. Perform therefore whatever actions you have to, O Arjuna, with a sense of non-attachment to the results thereof. You should keep yourself in balance in success or failure. This is called the action of one who has settled down in Yoga mind.’ in a word, the Yoga school of philosophy, accepted by the Gita, decries all inaction propounded by the Sankhya school and urges us to live a life of action, but to act with a feeling of non-attachment to the result. Thus we shade the path of action with the pines of mental balance and equilibrium as well as with the roses of calmness and unperturbedness in the event of rains or sunshine.

But the Sankhya philosophy solves this problem in a different Way. The followers of the marga of Sankhya or the path oi‘ inaction question: Work? Why should we work? For whom should We work?

This world is ephemeral, untrue, and unsubstantial. It is better for us to do no work at all if we want to avoid the miseries attendant on our work. Thus if we want to live happily we must rally under the banner of Sankhya and avoid all work. This philosophy may be compared to Tennyson’s view when he states that ‘We only toil, who are the ﬁrst of things, And make perpetual moan’ and further questions ‘Why should we only toil, the roof and crown of things?’ Tennyson also concludes that we should not work if we want to avoid the miseries of life.

The Followers of the path of Yoga or action hold out the following reply: even if we admit that this world is ephemeral, untrue, unreal, and unsubstantial, does it not For all practical purposes exist? Can you disprove its factual existence? How, then, can you altogether renounce work and action, or prevent yourself from being caughtup in the unending stream of activity? Hence, the true course available to us, in order to avoid the miseries ensuing from work and action, is not to try to escape from the world or to renounce the work or the action itself. But ‘we should renounce the desire, the craving, the longing for the result, the attachment with its consequences, the Feeling that ‘because I did this, I must get that or I must be rewarded.’

Both the paths of Sankhya as well as Yoga aim at a common objective, both want to avoid the miseries resulting from action. But whereas the former achieves this end by renouncing the work itself, the latter suggests renunciation only of the desire for its result.

The Gita accepts and upholds the path of Yoga, the path of desireless, disinterested action. Shri Krishna points out that this is the art of living, this is the secret handed down from Vivaswan to Manu, the secret now being revealed by him to Arjuna. Krishna accepts the contention of the Sankhya school that action entails us into the miseries resulting therefront,” but questions at the same time the advisability of refraining from the performance of an act. He asks: how is it possible to renounce action? If this be an impossibility, why then should one propagate a doctrine which is impracticable? we must, it is inherent in our nature.”‘But at the same time it is equally true that we must try to avoid the miseries which result from our actions. Shri Krishna states that these miseries result not from the action itself, but from the attachment, from a feeling of frustration, from I-ness and my-ness, which is engrafted into any action performed with the lamp of expectations burning in front of us. When an act cannot be avoided even if We so desire, does it not logically follow that the only alternative available to us is to act and not to think of the result because this is never within our power?

lt is probable that at man when asked to give up the desire for the fruit of his action might give up the action itself‘. Shri Krishna clearly saw such a possibility. He visualized that people might become lethargic and work with no enthusiasm if they were told to treat success and failure alike. To dispel such a despondency he exhorts: ‘Arjuna! as the unwise act with attachment, so should the wise men, seeking maintenance of the world order, act but act without attachment.

The feeling of un-attachment should not result in any slackness or laxity in the tempo of our actions, otherwise what difference-would there be between the path of Yoga and the path of Sankhya’!

According to Shri Krishna. it tempoless action is no action, it is inaction. The consciousness that, howsoever one may wish, one cannot avoid the action should only goad a man onto act with double the enthusiasm. Desirelessness and unattachment are solely meant to eliminate the fever and the fret involved in an action.

Selfless Action is Not Impossible

It is often stated that the ideal of working without the desire for the fruit ‘thereof is one of the many things which are easier said than done Everyone is motivated to act with one aim or another in view. Is there , then, any way whereby we can overlook or ignore ye consequences of our actions and develop a detached outlook‘? According to Shri Krishna, this is possible if we begin to consider this life as a Yajnya or a sacriﬁce. He speaks out thus: ‘Man is bound by shackles of Karma only when engaged in actions other than the work performed for the sake of Yajnya (sacriﬁce). Therefore, O Arjuna! do you efficiently perform your duty, free from attachment, for the sake of sacriﬁce alone.Krishna further states: ‘The virtuous, who partake of what is left after their sacriﬁce, are absolved of all sins. Those sinful ones, who cook for the sake of nourishing their body alone, eat only sin.’

The Gita cxhorts us to treat life as a Yajnya or a sacriﬁce, a life free from all attachment and selﬁshness. Whistle performing a sacriﬁce a man surrenders himself to the care of the Power Supreme. The feeling at self surrender is: ‘I am nothing, Thou art everything; nothing is mine, everything is thine.’ This feeling of self-surrender is the essence of Yajnyn and when it envelops life, life becomes a living’”.Yajnya.

A ll the years from the cradle to the grave should be lived as a Yajnya, in a spirit of calm and tranquillity, making Brahma, Brahma, and only Brahma as both the subject and the object of all our doings. The prelude to any piece of work which is undertaken, be it a business venture, or a family duty, or a service to humanity, should be : ‘Acts are mine, but Lord, fruits are thine.’ Every action should be looked upon as an offering and the holy Brahma as the sacriﬁcial ﬁre into Whose unquenchable ﬂames the seething oil of all our actions should be continuously poured. The thought provoking words of Krishna are: ‘Whatever you do, whatever you cat, whatever you oifer as oblation to the sacred ﬁre, whatever you bestow as a gift, whatever you do by way of penance, offer it all to Me.’ 1

A man who leads such it life of self-surrender has been described in the Gita by the Words Atma-rata (Atma means self, rat means satisﬁed), Atma-tripta and Atma-santushta (self-satisﬁed, self-contented and self-possessed). A man leading quite the opposite type of life, that is, a life of licentiousness and indulgence, has been described as Indriyarata (Indriya means the senses, and rata means satisﬁed) or the one who seeks satisfaction in the enjoyment ofthe senses.

It is not something unusual or strange to consider life as a sacriﬁce and thus to live in an unattached way. Every person has had such an experience at some time or the other in life. take the case of a doctor. He treats his patients with all the knowledge and experience at his command, and though many are cured none the less some die. But have you ever seen a doctor cry or weep for any of his unsucccssful cases? He is always unconcerned and unattached. He does his best to save the life of his patient and there his duty ends. He acts and acts with the fullness of spirit but does not let the result over- power him. One would, however, see the same doctor unnerved and undone if his own child were to pass away. Of course, at that time the whole world would change for him. He would be ﬁlled with grief, and would neither eat nor drink. He would lose total control over himself. He would now be weeping and wailing at the loss of his child, whereas he never shed at single tear when other children died under his treatment, Therefore, the question that arises is: why cannot he develop the same detached outlook for his own kith and kin which he has towards others?

Let us take another example. The husband of a lady dies. Friends and relatives come to console her and tell her that death must one day overtake us all, and that all this weeping and wailing will not avail in the least, nor will it bring back the dead to life again. But, heaven forbid, if any one of these visitors perehance meets the same title. she would not be able to Face up to the tragedy and there would he no consolation For her. She would ﬁnd the loss of her husband in- tolerable and unendurable. When this very lady had expected a detached outlook in her friend, how is it that the some outlook could not be developed new by her own self?

If a businessman is robbed or loses his all, we try to console him. But when we ourselves are robbed, we cannot be soothed. What do all this mean’?

It means, in simple words, that when our outlook is detached, we are serene, self-composed, and cheerful, but when this outlook is clouded with attachment and passions we tend to become restless,

anxious, and worried. The message of the Gila and the essence of Vedic culture is that one should live in the world and yet remain untouched by its soil‘,”one should work with a vigour but do so in a spirit of self surrender as if nothing had been done, one should dip in the water and still keep one’s self undrenched and crisp like a lotus leaf, one should be enmeshed in the world of Maya but should be able to come out of it as the caterpillar’ sheds oft‘ and Worms its way out from its skin.

It is precisely with this idea of creating the inner calm well as peaceful surrounding for all to live in and work that Krishna tells Arjuna that the greatest is he who ‘regards well-wishers, friends, foes, neutrals, mediators, the objects of hatred, relatives, virtuous and the sinful alike.“ If We try to follow this precept of detached outlook not only to the letter but also in spirit what an immense spiritual reservoir of perennial spring will be opened up for humanity to quench its thirst for equality of treatment. Will it not lead to the establishment of a better moral order and will it not make world outlook analogous to that of Shri Krishna when he said, ‘I am equally present in all beings; there is none hateful or dear to Me. And think of the immense peace of mind the individual will capture when ‘he is alike to friend and Foe, and likewise to honour and ignominy, is alike to heat and cold, pleasure and pain and is free from attachment. This is the bliss promised by Krishna who loved Arjuna (all mankind) clearly, if only Arjuna would carry out the very core of his teachings»—Oh, son of Kunti, he thou equal unto all.

This outlook is one of treating life as a great Yajnya or a sacriﬁce.It is not attained by a life of selﬁshness, indulgence, and pining for the fruits of one’s actions. Shri Krishna whilst stressing on Arjuna to sacriﬁce all his actions to Him said: ‘Therefore always efficiently do your duty without attachment, doing work without attachment man attains the Supreme,’ “ and further continues, ‘Therefore, dedicating all actions to Me with your mind ﬁxed on Me, the Self of all, freed from hope and feeling of attachment, cured of mental fever ﬁght.’

Any work done with desire for its fruits is indeed a mental fever. When the result of some action does not turn out to be what we had desired, or worse still, when it turns out to he quite contrary to all expectations, we become restless, sad, and worried. The only way out is to work without desire. This is the secret teaching that Shri Krishna imparted to the bewildered Arjuna at the very moment he was turning his back to the world.

Why Should We Not I-lope for the Result?

Why should we not hope for the results of our actions? is it because we are afraid that it does not turn out to be favourable we will be disappointed? And hence is this theory advocated merely to enable us to escape or to overcome this disappointment? There must be some philosophical ground, besides the practical considerations, for the ideal of the renunciation of the desire for the results of your actions. What is this philosophical ground?

Renunciation of desire does not mean that our actions will bear no fruit. Result must ensue from every act, though it may sometimes be favorable and at other times unfavorable. That is all. However, our happiness depends on the favourable and unhappiness on the unfavorable result of our notion. ‘But can we not realize that whereas we can exercise control over our actions, the results are obviously beyond the circumferences of the exercise of our powers‘? Here we cannot but recall Matthew Arnold’s lines, ‘success sways with the breath of Heaven. And though thou thinkest that thou knowest sure Thy victory, yet thou surely canst not know.’ Matthew Arnold further compares ourselves to swimmers in the sea, poised on the top of huge Wave of fate, which he says, hangs uncertain which side to full. And whether it will heave us up to land or Whether it will roll us out to sea, we know not and no search can make us know; it is only the event which will teach us in its hour. Why then should we fret and fume over something which is beyonnd our control.

How vast is this universe ! A number of causes are responsible For a resultant effect. We can only know a few causes, we cannot and do not know all because our vision is limited. There is, however, some Supreme Power, operating in the universe, which keeps all these causes and effects in view and strikes a balance among them all. This power may be described as the Synthetic Power. It is this power alone that knows the reasons for, as well as the extent to which, something that may be good for us may be bud for others and vice versa, and hence constantly operates to adjust the good and the bad of each. one of us in the context of the larger interests of humanity.

When we do not know as to whether the fulﬁlment of our particular desire will be good or bad in the context of the divine purpose,we are left only with the sole alternative to act with the best of our intentions and dedicate the results to the Will Supreme. We should try to learn to see things in the larger context and not think from the narrow personal angle. It was to express this truth that Shri Krishna revealed to Arjuna what is known as the Divine Form.

Revelation of the Divine Form

The Gita states that Shri Krishna assumed a Divine Form to enable Arjuna to behold Bhishma, Drona, and Kama with the principal warriors on their sides rushing headlong into His fearful mouth which was set with terrible teeth, and getting caught between them (teeth) with their heads crushed. All this had a symbolic meaning. The revelation of the Divine Form by Shri Krishna aimed at showing, in operation, the Synthetic Power which works in the world to reconcile all the contradictions that perturb the doubting mind. The manifestation of Shri Krishna’s universal form in which the operation of the law of cause and effect was unfolded to the mental eye of Arjuna set all his vacillations at rest.

Shri Krishna said about this form: ‘Arjuna! behold presently in hundreds and thousands My multifarious divine forms, of diverse colours and different shadesl“ Who can consider himself alone to be the centre of the universe after knowing that thousands of causes are operating in the determination of an effect without our being aware of them? Arjuna also realized, on seeing the Divine Form, that even the mighty men like Bhishma and Drona were not free from the dispensation of Divine justice; even they were being ground like grist under His teeth. The narrow vision of Arjuna turned into a wide perspective. His apprehensions about the sin of killing his kith and kin disappeared in a moment. He now realized that those, whom he was called upon to ﬁght with, had already been slain by their Karmas in the scheme of the Divine, and that he was only being made an instrument of that Will; he was only the chisel that would cut the rock, as the Sculptor would direct it. It was thus that Shri Krishna said: ‘I am the inﬂamed Kala (time), the destroyer of the worlds. My purpose here is to destroy these people. Even without you all those warriors arrayed in the enemy’s camp will not survive.”

This was the teaching that turned the cowardice of Arjuna into valour, this was the lesson which made him face the world instead of turning his back to it. He began to feel that though he was Working, it was as if no work was being done by him. The Gita states whilst describing this state of the mind: ‘He Whose under- takings are all free from desire and thoughts of the world, and whose actions are burnt up by the ﬁre of wisdom, him even the wise call a sage.“ Thus did Mahatma Gandhi say: ‘Thoughts accrue automatically to him who duly performs his duties. In fact, the right to perform one’s duties is the only right that is worth living for and dying for. It covers all legitimate rights.’

Shri Krishna was not a mere charioteer, he was a spiritual guide. We all face problems similar to those of Arjuna. The very idea of war disturbed and agitated Arjuna. What will be the result of this war? Shall I lose or shall I win? Should I ﬁght with those whom I called my own? These were the questions Arjuna had to solve. He found his answers through the immortal secret of disinterested, desireless action.Even today the teachings of Shri Krishna, which infused new life into Arjuna, hold good for us though centuries have rolled by. And for all time to come, Shri Krishna seems to be exhorting the Arjunas of all generations to enlarge their vision, to give up all the doubts and hesitations in the performance of their duties and to do everything in a spirit of sacriﬁce, for Nishkama Karma or disinterested action is only another name for sacriﬁce and self-surrender to the Will Divine. The teachings of the Gita, proclaiming to the world the secret gospel of disinterested action, will survive till the sun and the moon continue to shed their lights on the globe and will never die.

English, Vedic Religion

VEDIC CULTURE AND THE CONFLICTING IDEOLOGIES By Dr Satyavrat Siddhantalankar

January 4, 2014 Rishwa Arya Leave a comment

VEDIC CULTURE AND THE CONFLICTING IDEOLOGIES

By Dr Satyavrat Siddhantalankar

THE hottest and the reddest lava which the volcano of modern ideas is continuously belching forth through its crater is: that and that alone is real which is visible, whilst that which cannot be seen is unreal and thus, it is the visible or the real which is the problem and the sole issue which demands our attention. A look at ourselves reveals the body of ﬂesh and blood, and a scrutiny into the universe brings before our vision the ﬁve elements, namely, the earth, the water, the ﬁre, the air, and the sky. Nothing is visible beyond. Hence it is held that the only real thing with regard to ourselves is the body, and that the only reality in nature is the physical world of matter.

These facts have come to occupy such a prominent place in the modern scale of values that it is contended that only when a person has got complete control over the things of bodily comfort as well as the forces of nature that he can be said to have solved his life’s enigma. Naturally the question arises: how does one obtain these bodily comforts as well as the treasures stored in nature? The answer pouring forth from the crater of modern civilization is that this is possible only through the assessment of wealth which can purchase all that which we need and even that Which we do not need. These powerful thoughts have for the past few centuries been forcefully moulding all human endeavours in the various parts of the globe. They have given rise to many isms and theories.

Time was when the only way to amass wealth was to rob those who had it in plenty. Persons resorting to this method were and are called thieves, robbers, and dacoits. But even kings and sovereigns had been availing themselves of the same method without ever being termed as such; Alexander the Great, Mahmood Gazanvi, Napoleon, all of them were motivated by the same ambition to accumulate wealth and set out to attack, plunder, and loot other countries. Once a dacoit was produced before a king for the heinous crime of loot. ‘My Lord,’ said the dacoit, ‘I see no difference between yourself and myself except that you commit on a larger scale the deeds I do on a scale much smaller. Big dacoits are called kings.’ The dacoit was right.

Then came a time in social evolution when this method of accumulating riches by force gave way to another means for obtaining them which was termed as business. This method was considered to be more reﬁned, cultured and reasonable. In this new era u number of factories sprang up and new ways of generating wealth were discovered.

The discovery of many a new territory and kingdom led to the expansion of business. Was not Africa at mere stretch of forests lying neglected as barren land before the English arrived there and settled down only to exploit its resources in terms of men and money? Indian labourers were recruited and sent to Africa by force, and it is through the hire of their services for paltry pennies that the Englishman became a multi-millionaire. It was essentially for business that the British through the East India Company ﬁrst landed in India. The moment they realised that their continuance would no longer be serviceable to their interests, they decided to quit the country.

Capitalism

The decades of Alexander and Napoleon coupled with periods in history which are noteworthy for the accumulation of wealth through business are known as the eras of Capitalism. The setting out of kings and sovereigns with their armies to subjugate other countries and the landings of the English and other European nations in foreign territories under the banners of business to seek wealth through exploitation are the outcome of the capitalistic mode of thought and behaviour. Both wanted money, money at any cost; the kings by the use of force, and the traders through devious methods of exploitation. They wanted to accumulate and accumulate as much as possible. But does this amassing of wealth create a feeling of lasting satisfaction? If one is in want, one desires to have enough; but if one has got enough, one tends to crave for enough and to spare for hoarding.

Man is man; he covets and compares. It is natural for him to become dissatisﬁed with his own lot as soon as he sees and realizes that others are comparatively richer, better clothed, better fed, and better housed. When even the haves are not satisﬁed, how can the have-nots be? How is it possible for the poor cook, who prepares sumptuous dishes for us, to take only rotten meals himself and yet not rebel? How long will the weaver who knits the silken threads for our shirts remain contented with rags? It is incredible that a labourer who has built a palace for us must shiver in the cold in an adjoining hutment and yet not turn hostile.

Reaction against Capitalism and Economic Inequalities: theirProducts, Socialism and Communism

In a purely capitalistic set up, the labourer works and sweats, whereas the owner does nothing. If the capitalist earns a proﬁt of Rs. 20, he gets rid of the worker by paying him Rs. 2, and keeps and enjoys the balance himself. The plea put up by the owner is that it is he who had invested his moneys and must therefore get a return. But actually Rs. 20 were earned not by mere investment but also by the blood and sweat of the labourer. Even it‘ some moneys were invested could they have yielded such a high return in the absence of labour? ls it, therefore, reasonable to give the worker only a pittance of Rs. 2 against the huge proﬁt of Rs. 20 ‘2 Is it unnatural for the labourer to rebel against the capitalistic order of society sanctioning such a dispensation?

Thus we see that on the one hand stands the capitalist and on the other hand opposing him stands the labourer. The employee is becoming more and more conscious of the gulf separating him from his employer, and this awakening has led to many problems. In the sphere of domestic life, for example, it is now becoming more and more difficult to get as well as to maintain a servant. The situation will deteriorate still further because domestic servants, like the rest of labour, have started demanding higher wages. The demands of labour as a Whole are increasing. Ordinary peons in good concerns are now getting the same salaries as clerks used to get previously. The demand for the enforcement of the economic concept of the reduction in the inequalities of wealth and income between man and man is gathering momentum.

This problem of the disparity between the rich and the poor has become universal, and Socialism as well as Communism claim to solve it. These isms maintain that this problem of bridging the gulf between the rich and the poor can only be solved through the state regulation that work must be taken from everyone according to his capacity and each should be remunerated according to his needs. It is perfectly possible that certain individuals will and must earn more because individual capacities very, but the fact to be borne in mind here is that there must be equality of opportunity and secondary as well as higher education must be provided for all to eliminate the factor of capacity which perpetuates inequality. The welfare of society depends on the concept that all its members have sufficient resources to meet their requirements adequately.

Because of this rationalistic mass approach Socialism and Communism are having their sway in the modern world. What is the position in China? What took place in Korea‘? Why was the Prime Minister of Iran, Razmara, killed? Why was the coup staged in Pakistan‘? What happened in Telangana in India‘? What else are these if not reactions against Capitalism? Both Socialism and Communism are constantly engaged in a duel against Capitalism, and neither of them is prepared to leave the wrestling ground. The only difference between Communism and Socialism is that while the former proposes to bring about the desired changes through revolutionary methods, the latter opts for going slow as well as for adopting peaceful means to achieve its ends.

But we need not go into the origin, development, and other subtleties of Socialism and Communism. It is sufficient here to note that both of them aim at bridging the gulf between the rich and the poor, both are opposed to Capitalism and aim at a more equitable distribution of wealth.

Time was when Socialism and Communism were unheard of in practical life, and these terms were only to he read in books on Economics. Capitalism, which was at its zenith at that time, has now been shattered to pieces. Even‘ the capitalist countries have started pointing the footsteps of their policies in the direction of Socialism. This preference of Socialism to Capitalism may be attributed to the terrors created by the latter. And it is precisely to avoid both the harshness of Communism as well as the exploitative ills of Capitalism that Socialism is being ushered in all over the world. Socialism is being adopted voluntarily lest Communism with all its naked violence may show its teeth. It has become an established fact as well as a rule and law of commonsense that no political stability can be guaranteed so long as economic stability and prosperity are not assured. This accounts for Socialism and in cases even for Communism gaining an upper hand against Capitalism in social and political reconstruction.

And this is precisely what is happening in India today; the wind of Socialism is blowing all over the country. Let some socialists allege, if they choose to do so, that India is being governed by capitalists, but what confronts us is something entirely different. Old values are giving place to new ones. Rajas and Maharajas have been forced to shed off their former glitters. Though they reigned over different parts of the country for several centuries, they were deprived of their political powers overnight with a. single stroke. The Zamindari system has also come to an end. Transport enterprises are being brought within the purview of the public sector in large number of states. Cooperative societies are springing up everywhere. The proﬁts so far earned and enjoyed by the business community are now being monopolized by the government. The underlying aim or objective is to discourage the concentration of wealth in the few hands who make use of it for their personal pleasure and to ensure that its surges lush against every home. So we are laying the foundation of welfare state which may re-invest all the proﬁts of the public sector in the ameliorative activities of the community.

Capitalism in the modern age has become as much a theoretical concept its Socialism and Communism once were. Even the capitalists themselves feel diffident in lending their support to it in its original form and hence they too prefer to use the terminology of Socialism. This struggle of ideologies which is constantly being staged before us will deﬁnitely result in the total extinction of Capitalism and removal of man-created barriers between the rich and the poor. But none can tell whether this change will be brought about by power struggle, by violence and hatred, through Communism or through Socialism, or by the use of some totally deferent means. It is difficult to predict which ism will usher in this era of perfect equality, but the present trend clearly indicates that economic inequality cannot survive any longer. And, what is the position about social inequality‘?

Social Inequality

The annals of history indicate that white races have in the past entertained the wrong notion of superiority over the colored races and felt that there was something lacking in the latter. This feeling of racial superiority was one of the reasons for many of the Asian countries having been deprived of their independence for centuries.

But, if one were to take the present overall picture into account, it could be said that racial inequalities are gradually disappearing. It is no doubt true that the inhabitants of South Africa do not still enjoy the same rights as the white men there do, but it is impossible to justify this code of conduct in the modern age. Of course, at one point of time this sort of unequal social treatment was considered to be natural as well as very much in vogue.

Let us consider the case of our own country. Only n few years ago the fortress of untouchability was considered impregnable and even to touch men and women of 21 certain caste or community was deemed to be a sin. But how long could such a sorry state of affairs survive? Un touch ability was made an offence after independence under the constitution. It is only the last flickers of untouchability which are now awaiting to be extinguished.

And what is the position about women? Even in Europe, it was once held that women had no soul, and that the soul was an exclusive gift of God bestowed upon man. Today in all the European countries women enjoy equal rights with men, and a similar emancipation of women has also taken place in India. Are not these social changes signs of the coming times when there will be no man-made barriers between man and man and complete social equality will prevail? It is clearly writ large on the wall that the time has come when there will not be even one in this wide world who could be said to have no food to ﬁll his belly, no shelter to lay his head, no means to educate his children. The economic inequalities must vanish as surely as the social inequalities have disappeared and the balance of which are surely on the wane today. The main problem of man in the present set up is more economic than social because social inequalities are invariably the outcome of economic inequalities.

Economic Problem is Man’s First but Not the Last Problem

It is self-evident that the coming era will not be an era of Capitalism, rather it will be one of Socialism or of Communism or any other ism which may emerge more powerful than the others. But the question of all questions is: will this put an end to the conﬂicts now going on among the different isms and ideologies? The answer is emphatically in the negative. In fact, there.is no difference between the problems dealt with in Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism, because they all have their origin in materialism. They may appear on the surface to hold enmity against one another, but in reality they present the same out- look, in so far as all of them keep the monetary wick ﬂickering before them. They maintain that a man’s economic problem is his only problem and that it is towards the solution of this issue that a man should divert all his energies.

As against this conception, Vedic culture opines that even after a man’s economic problem is solved, his basic yearning still remains a quest. What is this basic quest or problem? The basic problem of man is that his needs do not end at the physical level, he cannot get peace merely by satisfying his hunger or quenching his thirst. He also craves, hungers, and thirsts for the higher things of life.

This visible human form is only an expansion of the spiritual principle lurking behind this body; and whatever is visible in the world form is merely the expansion of the self-same principle operating behind the world of matter. We are not Sharira but Alma; the real power motivating this universe is not Prakriti but Parama Atman. Thus Vedic culture presents men’s problems in an altogether new and different perspective. Man’s real search is not of the body but of Atma, not of the world of matter but of the spiritual principle from which all this emanates and has its being. In the light of the judgment of the Vedic seers, Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism would try to solve the human problem only on an animal level. They would see man only as the body and take no note of his spiritual nature, because according to them, this element does not exist at all.

Spiritual Nature of Man

However, the truth is that in spite of these world-wide attempts to satisfy our bodily and sensual needs, despite wars, murders, and dacoities raging all over the globe for man to fulﬁl his ambition, regardless of nature looking red in tooth and claw, we are, all of us, at some time or the other, motivated by certain higher impulses. These cannot be said to be material but they go to form the spiritual element in the individual. Is there any amongst us, who would not, for example at some point of time, think of sacriﬁcing his life to save the life of a close relation from some imminent danger or of giving his own blood to save the life of one who is the nearest and the dearest to his heart by brushing aside his own personal considerations‘? How is this possible if economics and money were the two last words in human affairs and social relations? Is it not a fact that a man who sacriﬁces his life for the welfare of others becomes the idol and the hero for thousands of his admirers through the centuries? Do we not reverence Buddha, Christ, Dayanand, and Gandhi because they renounced the world and sacriﬁced themselves for the sake of humanity? What does all this mean? Does it not mean that though we are engaged in the accumulation of wealth and enjoyment of worldly objects yet deep within ourselves we still regard its renunciation and sell’-sacriﬁce I” or some higher aim far nobler and worth aspiring to‘? In this context let us recall the words that Dickens makes Sidney Carton speak when the latter is guillotined of his own accord because he wishes to save the life of Darncy, husband of Lucy Manette, his beloved: ‘It is u fur, fur better thing that [ do, than I have ever done; it‘s a fur, tar better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.’ Is it not an enigma that despite our constantly harping upon the slogans of world peace and universal brotherhood, restlessness, hatred, and violence are rampant everywhere‘? Why is it that though love, harmony, service, sacriﬁce, self-surrender are the eternal and fundamental principles of the universe, they are being discarded in the modern world?

It is the rocks of the materialistic theories of Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism which stand in the way and block the advancement of the surging waves of world peace and universal brother- hood. But as wave upon wave of these eternal spiritual Verities of truth, love, harmony, sacriﬁce, non-violence break upon the mountainous rocks of these materialistic isms and are forced to turn back leaving room for these isms to hold their momentary sway, they do so only to gather greater strength, vigor, and momentum with which to lash forth in future. These materialistic theories have imprisoned us so ﬁrmly within their four walls that we cannot have a glimpse of anything beyond this body and its needs. And similar to the prisoner who yearns for fresh air and a peep into the outside world we also pine to uphold and assimilate in life these principles. But like him we ﬁnd ourselves helpless to do so until and unless we can successfully break open the dungeon bars and come out into the open. Nevertheless we cannot but talk about these principles because they hold us fast and howsoever we may wish We cannot escape from their grip. Why is this so? This is so because these principles alone are true, they alone are real, and cannot but help inﬂuencing even an outright materialist or a hard atheist. The reason why materialists admire these principles only by word of mouth and not through practice, is that though the spiritualism as conceived by the Vedic seers does not renounce materialism, yet materialism does not so readily make a compromise with spiritualism. And living as we are in a materialistic age, all our efforts at spiritualizing materialism are resisted Whereas those at materializing spiritualism are encouraged.

It is thus clear that these high ideals of love, sacriﬁce, and benevolence can exist only if our outlook is spiritual; they cannot be kept alive if we view the world as reﬂected through the capitalistic, the socialistic, or the communistic mirrors. If Capitalism, Socialism, and Communism can help us only in removing hunger and thirst and if these urges are not the only needs of man, then they can ill provide us with a lasting solution to our problems. They solve only a part of our question, only a fragment of our difﬁculties. Spiritually speaking, these ideologies could hold a permanent footing in the minds of men only if they could give a local habitation and a name to those far of, glowing, glittering, eternal verities.

These are passing through the ordeals of labour, essentially to be horn into the World and there- by to bring about its transformation from the world of violence, untruth, stealth, indulgence, and attachment into a world of non- violence, truth, non-possession, self-control, and non-attachment. These alone are the eternal, these alone are the universal. Thus does the Epistle to the Philippians read: ‘Whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things.’ But no, the prevailing economic theories do not offer a lasting solution to the Whole of man. ‘Thou shalt not live by bread alone’ depicts the crux of the problem. There is no denying that hunger and thirst are very important urges for which due consideration is absolutely necessary. But the fact still remains that Whereas materialism conﬁnes its scope to merely providing man with his physical necessities and comforts, Vedic spiritualism goes a step further and embraces man and his needs as a whole. Outlook of Vedic Culture

According to Vedic culture, the body exists but it is the beginning and not the end of human existence; the satisfaction of our bodily needs is and no doubt should be our goal but not our ﬁnal goal in life. Vedic culture does not teach us to ignore the body or to shut our eyes to the economic aspect of life. The body is real, it is in fact so real that it has even hidden within itself its spiritual principle. How, then, can we neglect the body ? How is it possible that the saints and sages who prayed for the span of a hundred years of life could afford to neglect or hate or abhor the body‘!

Vedic culture pays its tribute to all those ideologies which aim at solving the problem of hunger and thirst. and its preference must naturally go to the one which deals with this problem the most efficiently. It only emphasizes that alter having fulfilled their mission of removing hunger and thirst these ideologies must recede into the background, and that they should not keep us in their shackles after they have outlived their utility. In other words, in the panorama of human existence it is the spiritual mountain which should stand out against the skyline as towering over the hill of materialism, and man must remember that after climbing the material mount the spiritual ascent still remains. It is essentially at the point at which materialism ends its task that spiritualism begins its own. Both materialism as well as spiritualism singly by themselves cannot render any useful service to humanity. One-sidelines is not and cannot be the truth of existence. Does not Christ say: ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.’

Vedic culture does not ignore materialism because it regards the body as at means for the realization of its destiny by the soul and Prakriti (matter) as an instrument to be used for the fulﬁlment of its mission in life. The message of Vedic culture enshrined in the teachings of the Rishis of old is that we should start with Sharira (the body) and its needs but not end with it; we should begin with Prakriti (matter) and its products but not make it our ﬁnal goal.

English, Vedic Religion

THE CENTRAL THOUGHT OF VEDIC CULTURE By Dr. Satyavrat Siddhantalankar

January 4, 2014 Rishwa Arya Leave a comment

THE CENTRAL THOUGHT OF VEDIC CULTURE

By Dr. Satyavrat Siddhantalankar

INDIA has achieved independence after years of foreign domination. We have so far followed the path shown to us by others, but are now free to chart out our course and shape our own destiny. What will be this course? This is for time alone to tell. It is, however, possible to indicate on the basis of our traditional thought and literature, the path that we had followed and the direction of our movement for thousands of years before we lost our moorings.

It is the ﬁrm belief of those who are acquainted with the essentials of Vedic culture that the welfare of India. as well as of mankind at large demands the perusal of the same old path shown to us centuries ago by our saints and sages. If this is done India will again become the torch bearer and the crown of the world, as she once was, shining forth in all her radiant and pristine glory. But what was this path? How can we know it‘? In order to be able to understand the way of this path we shall have to discover the central thought of Vedic culture.

Our country in the prime of her youth had given birth to a culture which was and still is different from the other cultures of the world. There was a time when the open air of the forests, the shady trees, and the verdure all around, pregnant with subdued silence, occupied the same pride of place as that which the crowded and the noisy towns studded with skyscrapers hold in the modern age. The culture which than developed was one of those who were constantly in communion with nature in all its variegated hues and resplendent glory. The talk of the day would be that ‘this Rishi lives in the Dandakaranya,’ or ‘that Rishi lives in Brihadaranya.’ Dandakaranya and Brihadaranya were the names of the forest habitations of the Rishis of old. There were, no doubt, towns and cities in the Vedic age, but the forests were regarded as the centres of culture from which inspiration radiated in all directions. The cities were encircled by these forests in which the saints lived. ‘They lived in their forest hutments and devoted their time to meditation and communion with the Spirit Supreme.

We shall have occasion to discuss this culture of the forests in the course of the present work, but since there are some who feel different in using the term ‘culture’ for a culture evolved by the forest- saints of old, it is but appropriate to clearly understand the difference between ‘Culture’ and ‘Civilization.’

Civilization is Material but Culture is Spiritual

Civilization and culture are fundamentally distinct from each other; the two can be said to be poles apart. Civilization refers to the body, culture to the soul; civilization is external, culture internal; civilization can be said to be the name given to material progress, culture relates to spiritual advancement. Railways, telegraphs, radios, cars, aeroplanes, ships are the emblems of civilization; non-violence, truth, contentment, sell‘-control, and self- abnegation are the symbols of culture.

Let it, however, be noted that the concept of culture differs from country to country, and different cultures attach various shades of importance to the basic principles such as non-violence, truth,

Contentment, self-control, etc. There is also a possibility of the existence of certain cultures which may have violence, Falsehood, discontent, licentiousness as their fundamentals. The latter, however, should be excluded from the sphere of cultures. It is natural that a culture propounded by those who have devoted their lives to the pursuit of non-violence, truth, non-stealing, sell‘-control, and non-attachment will differ from the one propounded by others who indulge in violence, falsehood, stealing, licentiousness and aggrandizement. Whilst the ﬁrst type of culture is a sublime culture, the second one, though technically called a culture, is a vulgar culture and hence in discussions on this subject it should be designated by some term other than culture.

Civilization, on the other hand, has nothing to do with these pairs of opposite qualities, such as, violence and non-violence, truth and untruth, stealing and non-stealing, self-control and liceutiousuess, aggrendisement and self-abnegation. A man may be said to be civilized if he is fairly comfortably off‘ and has a bungalow,s car, a refrigerator, a tape recorder, two to three servants, irrespective of what he is in his personal life. It does not matter even if he be a liar, a drunkard, or a libertine, he is none the less without dispute a civilized man. But can he be called a cultured man. If he claims to have any culture, it can only be a negation of culture for such a man gives preference to violence over non-violence (Ahimsa), to falsehood over truth (Satya), to stealing over non- stealing (Asreya), to licentiousness over self-control (Brahmccharya), and to aggrandizement over self-abnegation (Aparigraha).

The culture which is based on violence, falsehood, discontentinent, licentiousness, and aggrandizement is not a culture; in fact, it is a negation of the very elements that go to constitute the concept of

culture. And so it is that a civilized man can be most uncultured, as well as a cultured man can be most uncivilized. Both the terms can be used exclusively of each other.

Civilization is material, it depends upon outward or physical, material things; culture is spiritual, it has its roots in the inner life, the life of the spirit.

Rishi Vishwamitra lived in huts made of leaves, of grass, and of creepers. Rishi Vasishtha covered his body with pieces of skin and hides or untanned leather. Shri Krishna used only a chariot that was drawn by horses. Where do these great men of old stand, judged strictly from the norm of civilization or from the standards of the modern man who lives in apartments, wears terelene shirts and trousers, smokes cigars, and travels by aeroplanes? But viewed from the perspective of even the highest standards of culture they remain unequalled because they devoted themselves to self-perfection, to the cultivation of man as man, and to the welfare of humanity at large.

Civilization and Culture can Exist both Jointly as well as Severally

It is possible that a nation might be at the zenith of its material achievements and its people might also be non-violent, unaggressive, truthful, contented, pure, chaste, and ungreedy. This is ideal, and under such circumstances both the culture as well as the civilization of the nation can be said to be of a high standard.

It is also possible that a nation might be materially matured but spiritually a babe. In such a case cars will be in abundance but they might be used for dacoit, radios will be in plenty but only vulgar songs will be relayed over them. Obviously the civilization of such a nation will be high but its culture deﬁnitely low.

It is perfectly possible that a nation might be at the lowest rung of the ladder of material progress but may be standing on the highest pinnacle of spirituality. The people of such a nation will be sharing the grief’s of others, sacriﬁcing their own interests for the welfare of their neighbors, and leading a life completely free from falsehood, dishonesty, corruption, etc.; and yet they might travel by bullock carts instead of cars, live in huts instead of bungalows. A nation of such persons might be regarded backward with respect to civilization but will be reverenced as the fountainhead of culture. All nations will bow to her for her cultural supremacy.

Which of these two can be said to be occupying the higher place, civilization or culture? The answer is that the scales tilt in favor of culture, because it has its foundation in non-violence, love, truth, honesty, contentment, self-control, non-aggrandizement, and self- abnegation. The world today is not so much in need of the railways, the telegraphs and the radios as it is in need of non-violence, brotherhood, truth, honesty, self-control, benevolence, and non-attachment. It is better for a nation to have both, civilization as well as culture, but if a choice has to be made between the two, the vacillating needle of the compass must point towards culture. This is what Franklin Roosevelt meant when he stated: ‘In order that civilization might survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships.’

Civilization can be sacriﬁced to safeguard culture but culture cannot be placed at the altar of civilization. Body can be sacriﬁced to save the soul, not the soul to save the body.

Culture is Born out of a Central Dominant Idea

We have seen the difference between culture and civilization. We have also explained the true signiﬁcance of culture. But how is a culture born. Any culture must have its origin in the central or dominant idea or thought of a community, the concept around which the whole of its life revolves, the polar star in the constellation of its thoughts. All the currents and cross currents in the life of a community are guided and inspired by this central thought. Any community devoid of such a central thought has no culture worth the name, a community with no central thought to guide it as a beacon-light in its onward march to the promised land becomes one amongst the many. This central thought is to any culture what the soul is to the body; and just as the soul is responsible for the life in the body, so also this thought is responsible for the dynamism in the culture. The strength or the weakness of a culture will and must ultimately depend on the force or sub-duedness of this central thought. The more powerful the central thought, the more vigorous and animating will be the culture emanating from it.

Various cultures, not in multiples of one but thousands, have come and vanished from the earth. What was the reason for this? This was so because either they had no central thought to guide them, or if they had any, it gradually weakened itself and hence could not sustain them. The cultures of Egypt, Assyria, and Babylon were thus annihilated in the absence of any single dominant and vigorous central thought. They died their natural death because there was nothing to keep them alive. These nations still exist but the thought which had given them birth, the idea which had made them what they were centuries ago, is no more. There they stand like the body without the soul, lifeless, and to use Shelley’s words: ‘Nothing beside remains: round the decay Of that colossal wreck, bound- less and bare, The lone and level sands stretch far away.’

A community which has no such central thought for which it lives and dies will bow even before those whom it has vanquished, if this other community has a powerful central thought to guide it.

A nation which has such a central thought to sustain it will not bow before a conqueror even in the event of defeat.

India remained under the yoke of foreign rule for centuries. Could it affect her soul? No, never; because it was only the body and not the soul of India which had accepted the domination. Why was this so ? It was so because there was some dynamic and vigorous thought inspiring the Indian culture which could not be brushed aside, nor crushed, nor covered up totally with a. dab of the fresh paint of domination.

The Central Thought of Vedic Culture

This brings us to the question: what was this central thought‘! The central thought or concept of this nation had been sung in Vedic hymns by the saints and sages of this land, taught by the Munis in the Upanishads, and propounded by Shri Krishna in the Bhagawad Gita.

According to this thought, macrocosmically, Prakriti (matter)’ exists but it is not all; there is some spiritual reality behind it which animates it and is called Parama Atma tattva (world consciousness) or the universal life principle. Microcosmically, Sharira (body) is also a reality but not the ultimate reality because even here there is the Atma tattva animating the body which is known as Jivatma or Pururha (human consciousness) or the individual life principle.

The World is an inter-play of the forces of Prakriri and Purusha or Jivatma. If the existence of Prakriti be reality, the enjoyment of all its lovely objects is also natural and inevitable. But according to Vedic culture the fact that we have to enjoy this world is as much true as the other fact that we have to say ‘good-bye’ to it some day.

According to Indian thought Prakriti is dominated by Parama Atma and Sharira is subordinate to Jivatmn. Jivarma or Purusha has to march towards the achievement of the Paramta through this body, or it has to reach that which it has not attain as yet. This in brief, is the gist of the central thought of Indin phylosopy.

Regardless of the philosophy which claims our allegiance , he it monism, dualism, pantheism, theism, or atheism, the thought running all along Indian culture is that since every one has to leave this world some day, passionate attachment to the pleasures it provides cannot be the be-all and the end-all human existence. There is pleasure in the enjoyment of worldly objects, but certainly no lusting satisfaction in an attachment to them.

Who does not seek pleasure? All are after pleasure from the rank atheist to a devoted theist, but the crux of the matter is that pleasure is pleasure only when we enjoy the world and after enjoyment renounce it. The moment we lose ourselves in attachment the pet of pleasure converts itself into a carnivorous monster and quietly slips out of our hands confronting us to devour us into its entrails.

The process that brings real happiness in life is that of ‘Enjoyment -Non-attachment–Renunciation.’ The Upanishad declares: Thus and thus alone—-—by the method of ‘Enjoyment ~ Renunciation’—-canst thou disentangle thyself from the meshes of Karma. If the ultimate reality is not of this ephemeral world but of the world beyond, then the only path to be pursued here is to lead an unattael1ed selﬂess life of action, and to surrender the fruits thereof to the Will Supreme.

This central thought of Vedic philosophy, if properly understood, is not an ideology of despair or escapism. It does not imply complete renunciation or running away into the jungle. Indian culture is realistic, in so far as it holds out its fullest recognition to the existence of this real and visible world, as well as acknowledges its irresistible power of attraction. Vedic culture believes that the various objects of this world have been created for our enjoyment, it does not teach us to run away from them or to close our eyes to them. It only warns us against excessive indulgence in them. The sum and substance of this culture is to enjoy the World but not to lose oneself in it, to live like a drop of water on the lotus ﬂower which rests on it with all the splendors of a diamond without drenching it.

Some cultures preach the gospel of renunciation whilst others of enjoyment, some of materialism and still others of spiritualism. But it is the harmonious blending of all the conﬂicting ideologies and thoughts which distinguishes Vedic culture from the others. It is realistic because it views the world as being both a reality as well as an unreality. And is it not a fact that the world is both, real and also unreal? it is real in so far as it is tangible and perceptible; it is unreal because it is not everlasting. It was on the basis of this dual nature of the world, embracing both its reality as also its un reality, that Vedic culture had developed a philosophy of its own, styled as ‘Enjoyment-Renunciation’ in which materialism was wedded to spiritualism. And it is precisely this harmonious blending of apparently conﬂicting thoughts and ideologies that makes this culture great and unique.

As has already been mentioned earlier every great culture of the world is the outcome of some central thought, and for a culture to survive, its central thought must be potent, vigorous, and continuous. It is the potency coupled with the vigor of this central concept that determines the continuity of a culture. The rock of any culture can resist the surges and billows of time only if this central thought is so potent, so vigorous, so continuous that it is the very life breath of the community through all its ups and downs, and that the community lives and dies for it. It is only then that a. culture can be said to hold its own. Into a community which can thus keep its central thought alive are born persons who symbolize this thought, who are its living embodiments; and to ensure this, it is necessary to animate and strengthen the central thought through constant endeavor.

The central idea of Vedic culture has been continuously inﬂuencing the life of our community. During all the periods of trials and tribulations, that we have passed through, this central thought has always guided and inspired our nation like a polar star.

Time was when we built our social structure on the foundation of this central thought. Time was when we also initiated the whole world into the light of this central thought of our culture and were hailed as leaders and pioneers in the comity of nations.

But we had also to pass through a darkened era in our history when we were sent into oblivion and were thrown into the dustbin of nations. During this period of darkness our culture like 21 ﬁre smoldering under the ashes continued to be enclosed in its own hushed light. It was not destroyed. How could it be destroyed? It had once again to ﬂare up into a ﬂame to remove the darkness of the world and lead aright the humanity that had gone astray.

The Vedic saints have declared: Satyam, Sivam, Sumdaram. The formula signiﬁes that truth, blissfulness, and beauty arc eternal verities of cosmic existence, undestroyed and un -destroyable. Keats echoed the same truth when he sung: ‘A thing of beauty is it joy for ever.’ True beauty and loveliness can neither fade nor wither into nothingness, they shine with further and further lustre with the dawn of every new day. Keats’ reference is not conﬁned to the beauty and loveliness of physical objects or treasures of art. He along with Vedic seers voices forth the eternal truth of the imperishable nature of the basic principles of culture which are embodied in the formula of ‘Enjoyment—Non Attachment—-Renunciation’ as propounded by the Upanishads and the Gita. This formula has stood the test of time, the ravages of fortune and has enabled our people to shoulder the cross of evil and bitter days, as well as has held its own against the conﬂicting ideologies that have penetrated into the soil of India.

Today the task we are faced with is to rebuild our nation in accordance with the philosophy contained in our cultural thought and also to carry its message to every nook and corner of the earth. The time is ripe when we and our culture will be put to an acid test. Does the central thought of our culture contain the potency, the vigour, the continuity, the three essentials of dynamism needed to build our society and the world around or does it not? Upon a positive answer to this question hangs the future of this culture! Matthew Arnold has said, ‘culture is n study of perfection’ and elucidating it further continues that the best motto in which culture can be described is: ‘to make reason and the will of God prevail.’

It is the extent to which the central thought as well as the other aspects of our culture can rightly conform to these observations that will now be the theme of this book.

Arya Samaj, English, Veda and Science, Vedic Religion

रक्षोहाग्नि वेदों से

December 31, 2013 rdhoot Leave a comment

RV10.87-AV 8.3- रक्षोहाग्नि

Author- Subodh Kumar

पायुर्भारद्वाज:। रक्षोहाऽग्नि: । त्रिष्टुप्, 22-25 अनुष्टुप् ।

ऋषि:-पायुर्भारद्वाज: ‘पातीतिपायु:’ = शत्रुओं से प्रजा की रक्षा करने वाला पायु है. शक्ति से भरा होने पर ही यह शत्रुओं से रक्षा कर सकेगा, इसी से इसे ‘पायु: भारद्वाज’ नाम मिला।

This Sookt is about obtaining protection from agents that cause pain, disease and destruction of healthy life and community. It can be interpreted at different levels. Our enemies can be germs carrying diseases in the environments, and can be treated by Agnihotra. Enemies of society can also be criminals, thieves, saboteurs, black marketers, smugglers, adulterators, from which society has to be protected by joint actions of community and law enforcement by ruling forces.

Modern Science on importance of AgnihotraNegative Ion generation by Agnihotra

Fire is Plasma & creates Negative Ions

The big difference between regular gas and plasma is that in a plasma a fair fraction of the atoms are ionized. That is, the gas is so hot, and the atoms are slamming around so hard, that some of the electrons are given enough energy to (temporarily) escape their host atoms. The most important effect of this is that a plasma gains some electrical properties that a non-ionized gas doesn’t have; it becomes conductive and it responds to electrical and magnetic fields. In fact, this is a great test for whether or not something is a plasma.

For example, our Sun (or any star) is a miasma of incandescent plasma. One way to see this is to notice that the solar flares that leap from its surface are directed along the Sun’s (generally twisted up and spotty) magnetic fields.

A solar flare as seen in the x-ray spectrum. The material of the flare, being a plasma, is affected and directed by the Sun’s magnetic field. Normally this brings it back into the surface (which is for the best).

We also see the conductance of plasma in “toys” like a Jacob’s Ladder. Spark gaps have the weird property that the higher the current, the more ionized the air in the gap, and the lower the resistance (more plasma = more conductive). There are even scary machines built using this principle. Basically, in order for a material to be conductive there need to be charges in it that are free to move around. In metals those charges are shared by atoms; electrons can move from one atom to the next. But in a plasma the material itself is free charges. Conductive almost by definition.

A Jacob’s ladder. The electricity has an easier time flowing through the long thread of highly-conductive plasma than it does flowing through the tiny gap of poorly-conducting air.

As it happens, fire passes all these tests with flying colors. Fire is a genuine plasma. Maybe not the best plasma, or the most ionized plasma, but it does alright.

The free charges inside of the flame are pushed and pulled by the electric field between these plates, and as those charged particles move they drag the rest of the flame with them.

Even small and relatively cool fires, like candle flames, respond strongly to electric fields and are even pretty conductive. There’s a beautiful video here that demonstrates this a lot better than this post does.

Negative ion production has many benefits. In general negative ion production produces air similar to the air outside after a thunder and rain storm. If you have experienced a thunderstorm then you have noticed the tension that builds up in the air before a storm as the positive ions in the air reach a peak. When the storm hits electrical charges are produced in the atmosphere and rain falls. The resultant air is oxygen rich and full of negative ions. The sensations of calm and clarity can be felt in the air after a storm. This is similar to the quality of the air produced in the home with negative ion production especially if combined with ozone production as ozone (0³) is also produced in abundance after a thunderstorm. There are hundreds of scientific papers and studies on the positive effects on negative ions. The following lists a few of the findings.

Seasonal depression symptoms decreased for the group receiving high density treatment with negative ions.
Neg. ions, counteracted the effects of cigarette smoke, specifically the slowing down of the cilia (mucous and carcinogenic removing filaments) in the lungs.
After exposure of 15 min./ day for 25 days to male subjects. After 9 days work capacity increased 50% and by the 25 the day 87%.
100s of patients treated for relief from hay fever and asthma. After 15 min. in front of a negative ionizer they felt so much better they didn’t want to leave. Relief lasted for about 2 hours after returning to unionized conditions.
Plants show and increased growth rate.
Increased in alertness in humans as well as reduced symptoms of migraines, asthma, palpitations, depression and irritability.
Over 5 year period treating 500 patients, negative ionization cured 45% of hyperthyroid cases.
Bacteria counts reduced. Escherichia, pseudomonas, klebsiella, staphylococci, streptococci and candida counts reduced by 50% within 6 hours and 70% within 24 hours of neg. ion exposure.
Aerosol sprayed bacteria cultures in air were virtually eliminated in 60 min. with high negative ion exposure.
Headaches in office air conditioned computer room reduced by 78%.
Hospital usage for burn victims. Sealed room with negative ion treatment for severe burn patients reduced pain to nil without the usage of morphine or narcotics in 85% of the cases. 57% of post surgical cases experienced significant pain reduction upon negative ion treatment.

1.रक्षोहणं वाजिनमा जिघर्मि मित्रं प्रथिष्ठमुप यामि शर्म ।
शिशानो अग्नि: क्रतुभि: समिध्द: स नो दिवा स रिष: धातु नक्तम् ।। 10.87.1

यज्ञाग्नि घृतादि हवि से बलशाली हो कर राक्षस- विनाशी रूप धारण करता है. समोधाओं से प्रचंड हो कर दिन और रात्रि में (हर समय) हमें (दूषित पर्यावरण के) कष्ट से बचावे.

Homa strengthened by offerings of Ghee etc. destroys all negative elements unfriendly to our life. Homa fires on being fed by wood etc. gain sharpness to proved protection all time-day and night.

अयोदंष्ट्रो अर्चिषा यातुधानानुप स्पृश जातवेद: समिध्द: ।
आ जिह्वया मूरदेवान् रभस्व क्रव्यादो वृक्त्व्यपि धत्स्वासन् ।। 10.87.2

The offerings in the fire by its contact reduce the disease causing germs to ashes. This is as if the Agnihotra provides steel teeth in their jaws to chew away ‘flesh eaters’ and a tongue to digest the flesh eating enemies.

हे सर्वज्ञ अग्ने! हमारी समिधा से प्रदीप्त हो कर अपनी लपटों जैसी डाढ़ों से मृत्यु तुल्य पीड़ा देने वाले मांस भक्षी राक्षसों को चबा जा.

.(Following scientific information is thankfully acknowledged from Wikipedia)

Many different microorganisms can be in aerosol form in the atmosphere, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, yeasts and protozoan’s. In order to survive in the atmosphere, it is important that these microbes adapt to some of the harsh climatic characteristics of the exterior world, including temperature, gasses and humidity. Many of the microbes that are capable of surviving harsh conditions can readily form endosperms, which can withstand extreme conditions (Al-Dagal 336).

Details of well known airborne diseases causing germs are being given in the two tables here.

Germs’ life cycle in the environment/ atmosphere is depicted in the figure below:

The microbes undergo the emission process, in which they are emitted from surfaces such as water, soil or vegetation and become airborne and transported into the airstream. The red boxes indicate some of the harsh environmental conditions that the microbes must withstand while airborne. The microbes that are able to withstand and survive these environmental pressures are the more resistant varieties. The microbes make it into clouds, where they can begin the breakdown of organic compounds. Finally, the microbes are “rained” out of the clouds through wet deposition, and they begin colonization of their new location (Amato 2012).

Following is a digression to demonstrate how Agnihotra destroys various types of disease causing enemies in the atmosphere.

(Vedic tradition lays down a ten day regime of Havan in the maternity wards to bring about resistance and immunity to new born child and the mother both.

प्रातः सायं दोनो समय प्रसूतिका के कक्ष में अक्षत् – साबत चावल और सरसों के पीले बीजों से गो घृत से निम्न मंत्रों से अग्नि में न्यूनतम दो आहुति देनी होती हैं ।

1.ओं शण्डामर्का उपवीरः शौडिकेय ऽउलूखलः ।

मलिम्लुचो द्रोणासश्च्यवनो नश्यतादितः स्वाहा ।। इदं शण्डादिभ्यः इदन्न मम् . pa gr sookt.1.16.23

2. ओं आलिखन्ननिमिषः किंवदन्त उपश्रुतिः।

हर्यक्षः कुम्भीशत्रुः पात्रपाणिर्नृ मणिर्हन्त्रीमुखः सर्षपारुणश्च्यवनो नश्यतादितः स्वाहा।। इदमालिखन्ननिमिषाय किंवदद्भ्यः उपश्रुतये हर्यक्षाय कुम्भीशत्रवे पात्र पाणये नृमणये हन्त्रीमुखाय सर्षपारुणाय च्यवनाय, इदन्नमम्.pa.gr.sookt. 1.16.23

Roughly translated by a non medical science person these two mantras carry the following sense.

(शण्डामर्का –are names given to two demons. They have killer habits and are from the family of bacilli such as found in milk curds etc. being of organic origins– उपवीरः शौडिकेय with abilities to cause physical pains discomfort to the ऽउलूखलः the bacteria being very small in size as if ground and mixed together in a pestle with mortar…

मलिम्लुचो disease caused by contagion associated with lack of hygiene द्रोणासश्च्यवनो objects entering with breath through nose (manifesting as colds and coughs in the initial stages), नश्यतादितः and causing debility to the body of this new born may get destroyed. इदं शण्डादिभ्यः इदन्न मम This offering in the fire is for them and not for me.

2. आलिखन्ननिमिषः causing invisible scratches /coatings /injuries (insect bites) किंवदन्त inimical to children (those without teeth) उपश्रुति: said to be demons, हर्यक्षः depriving eyesight कुम्भीशत्रुः enemies of both the eye cavities पात्रपाणिर्नृ as if seeking alms with both hands मणिर्हन्त्रीमुखः as if with mouths wide open to kill/destroy सर्षपारुणश्च्यवनो of different colors नश्यतादितः may get destroyed and thrown away)

Agnihotra changes the temperaments

उभोभयाविन्नुप धेहि दंष्ट्रा हिंस: शिशानोऽवरं परं च ।
उतान्तरिक्षे परि याहि राजञ्जंभै: सं धेहयभि यातुधानान् ।। RV10.87.3, AV 8.3.3

The fire in Agnihotra –Homa has two rows of teeth. These are sharpened by strong intense fires of agnihotra, to march radiantly to reach far wide and high to crush the two enemies शिशानोऽवरं परं च desires and anger at non fulfilling of the desires from our temperament in life there. उतान्तरिक्षे परि याहि राजञ्जंभै: सं धेहयभि यातुधानान्- The agnihotra is also to establish on the horizon of our temperaments the habit of constantly engaging in constructive activities that prevent negative self destructive /depression in our life.

यज्ञैरिषू: संनममानो अग्ने वाचा शल्याँ अशनिभिर्दिहान: ।
ताभिर्विध्य हृदये यातुधानान् प्रतीचो बाहून् प्रति भङ्ध्येषाम् ।। RV10.87.4, AV 8.3.6

The arrows and javelins of fire get directed and motivated by mantras recited loudly accompanying the Fires of Agnihotra.

अग्ने त्वचं यातुधानस्य भिन्धि हिंस्राशनिर्हरसा हन्त्वेनम् ।

प्र पर्वाणि जातवेदो शृणीहि क्रव्यात्क्रविष्णुर्वि चिनोतु वृक्णम् ।। RV10.87.5,AV8.3.4

Oh fire of Agnihotra percolate in to the skin of sufferers from skin disease. Select all the germs that eat in to the flesh and destroy every one of them.

हे यज्ञाग्नि रोगी की त्वचा का भेदन करो , मांस खाने वाले कृमियों को लक्षित कर के प्रत्येक को नष्ट कर दो.

यत्रेदानीं पश्यसि जातवेदस्तिष्ठन्तमग्र उत वा चरन्तम् ।
यद्वान्तरिक्षे पथिभि: पतन्तं तमस्ता विध्य शर्वा शिशानो ।। RV10.87.6,AV8.3.5

Agnihotra flames (and gases) travel far and wide in to the atmosphere and wherever in the environments they see a disease carrying organism they direct their arrows to destroy them.

हे यज्ञाग्नि जहां कहीं भी तुम रोगाणुओं को बैठे हुए, चलते फिरते अथवा अंतरिक्ष में उड़ते पीड़ा देने वाले रक्षसों को देखो उन्हें एक धनुर्धर के तीक्ष्ण बाणों से बींध दो.

यज्ञैरिषु: संनममानो अग्ने वाचा शल्यां अशनिभिर्दाहन: ।

विंध्य हृदये यातुधानान्‌ प्रतीचो बाहून्‌ प्रति भँङ्ग्ध्येषाम्‌॥ AV8.3.6

Mantras chanted with Agnihotra further sharpen the arrows and coat them with medicines (of Havi) which the enemies are destroyed by Agnihotra.

यज्ञों की अग्नि के साथ साथ मंत्र ध्वनि से आचार्यों द्वारा तीक्ष्ण किये वज्र और हवि की ओषधियों से लेपन किए बाणों द्वारा राक्षस (रोगाणुओं की) भुजाओं को नष्ट भ्रष्ट कर के उन्हे पलट दो.

उतालब्धं स्पृणुहि जातवेद आलेभानादृष्टिभिर्यातुधानात् ।

अग्ने पूर्वो नि जहि शोशुचान आमाद: क्ष्विंकास्तमदन्त्वेनी: ।। RV10.87.7,AV8.3.7

हे यज्ञाग्नि शत्रुओं द्वारा पकड़े यज्ञ करने वाले जनों को सुरक्षा प्रदान कर. शब्द करने वाले राक्षसों ( मच्छर मक्खी आदि को) अपने चमकते हुए आकर्षण से मार. ( अग्नि की ज्योति की ओर ऐसे कीटाणु आकर्षित हो कर नष्ट हो जाते हैं ) पुन: कच्चा मांस खाने वाले राक्षसों को सफेद सफेद चीलें अपना आहार बनावें .(मच्छर मक्खी इत्यादि कि रोक के लिए विद्युत प्रकाश से आधुनिक सन्यंत्र बनते हैं )
Fumigation Wood treatment

इह प्र ब्रूहि यतम: सो अग्ने यो यातुधानो य इदं कृणोति ।
तमा रभस्व समिधा यविष्ठ नृचक्षसश्चक्षुषे रन्धयैनम् ।। RV10.87.8,AV8.3.8

( निरीक्षण कर के) यह बताओ कि किस काष्ठादि में कृमि अनुचित कार्य कर रहे हैं. हे यज्ञाग्नि उन को अपनी पकड़ में ले कर उन काष्ठादि को सब जन निरीक्षकारियों द्वारा उपयुक्त बना.

Inspect and identify wooden materials which are liable to get damaged by undesirable pests (White ants, Termite etc.). Subject the wooden material to Agnihotra fumes to reach these wood damaging organisms and destroy them to make the wooden materials acceptable on inspection. (Wood treatment by in special process for fumigation is a very standard modern technique.)

तीक्ष्णेनाग्ने चक्षुषा रक्ष यज्ञं प्राञ्चं वसुभ्य: प्र णय प्रचेत: ।
हिंस्रं रक्षांस्यभि शोशुचानं मा त्वा दभन्यातुधाना नृचक्ष: ।। RV10.87.9,AV8.3.9

Sharpened vision strategy of regularly performed Agnihotra (with Mantras and medicinal Havi) , directly attacks the enemies ( the infections) and strengthens the positive healthy elements in life.

हे यज्ञाग्नि अपनी तीक्ष्ण दृष्टि से हमारे इस यज्ञ व्यवस्था से रक्षा कर. (हम नित्य यज्ञ करने के कर्तव्य से कभी विमुख न हों ) हमारी दी हुइ हवि समस्त वसुओं –हमारे निवास स्थानों तक पहुंचे. हमारे चारो ओर के पर्यावरण में हमें हानि पहुंचाने वाले शत्रु कृमि इत्यादि को भस्म कर दो. हम जीवों को ये राक्षस कभी दबा न पाएं. ( कभी कोइ महामारी रोग हमरे समाज को न पकड़े )

नृचक्षा रक्ष: परि पश्य विक्षु तस्य त्रीणि प्रति शृणीहयग्रा ।
तस्याग्ने पृष्टीर्हरसा शृणीहि त्रेधा मूलं यातुधानस्य वृश्च ।। RV10.87.10,AV8.3.10

हे अग्ने ! तुम मनुष्यों के पाप पुण्य कर्म देखने वाले हो , सब ओर निगरानी रखते हुए मुख्यत: तीन प्रकार के रोगदायक राक्षसों का विनाश करो

Agnihotra ensures well being of all. They traverse the environment to keep a watch over the three types of harmful Germs and destroy these three types of germs by appropriate three methods. (According to modern science the germs are broadly classified in to three types based on their shapes and behavior. 1. Bacteria is from ‘bacillus’ Latin word for ‘little rod’ like shapes. 2. Spherical bunch grape like shapes growing in chains are called ‘Staphylococcus’.3. Flagellate germs that have a self propelling flagellate at one end.)

अग्निहोत्र नित्यकर्म है रोगाणु 3 प्रकार के

त्रिर्यातुधानो प्रसितिं त एत्वृतं यो अग्ने अनृतेन हन्ति ।
तमर्चिषा स्फूर्जयंजातवेदो समक्षमेनं गृणतेनि वृङ्ंधि ।। RV10.87.11,AV8.3.11

ये 3 प्रकार के रोगाणु अग्निहोत्र द्वारा बार बार नष्ट किए जाते हैं ( और पुन: उत्पन्न हो जाते हैं.) नित्य अग्निहोत्र करने वाले को पर्यावरण के रोगाणुओं से सुरक्षा प्राप्त होती है.

These three types of disease causing pain giving organisms come under your grips again and again. But Homa provides continuous protection to regular performer of Agnihotras, by destroying these germs. (According to modern science germs are broadly classified in to 3 categories as shown here)

Bacteria – meaning little rod shaped forms, from Latin word Bacillus meaning “little rod.S
Streptococcus- round shaped in bunches like grapes, from “cocas” meaning round Kernel.

2. Flagellate germs- that have whip like flagellae-tails, at one end to propel themselves.

तदग्ने चक्षु: प्रति धेहि रेभे शफारुजं येन पश्यसि यातुधानम् ।
अथर्ववयोतिषा दैव्येन सत्यं धूर्वन्तर्मचितं न्योष ।। RV10.87.12,AV8.3.21

Agnihotra with their divine powers destroys the obvious/ visibly perceptible and invisible enemies of honest simple life style, like even the polluted earth- in soil on which cows dig with their hoof.

भूमि में दृष्य और अदृष्य सभी रोगाणुओं को जिन्हे गोपशु इत्यादि अपने खुर से खोद देते हैं,उन्हें भी अग्निहोत्र नष्ट करता है

यदग्ने अद्य मिथुना शपातो यद्वाचस्तृष्टं जनयन्त रेभा: ।

मन्योर्मनसो शरव्या जायते या तया विध्य हृदये यातुधानान् ।। RV10.87.13,AV8.3.12

मंत्रोच्चार में जिन शत्रुओं को नष्ट करने के लिए कड़े शब्दों का प्रयोग होता है अग्निहोत्र का प्रभाव उस के अनुसार ही होता है यज्ञाग्नि से निजी मानसिकता भी इष्टनुरूप बनती है

When the performers of Agnihotra are expressing their anger in chanting mantras against enemies of the community, their anger should impel you to destroy those harmful elements.

परा शृणीहि तपसा यातुधानान् पराग्ने रक्ष: हरसा शृणीहि ।

परार्चिषा मूरदेवाञ्छृणीहि परासुतृपो अभि शोशुचानो ।। RV10.87.14,AV8.3.13

यज्ञाग्नि से अमानवीय पीड़ादायक मानसिकता का विनाश होता है. अवसाद दूर होता है, मानव तेजस्वी, तपस्वी , उत्साह पूर्ण बनता है.

Agnihotra kills those that take delight in causing self defeatist hedonistic attitudes as disease. Agnihotra performer gets the mind rid of depressive thoughts and blesses with a cheerful disposition.

वाणी की मधुरता

पराद्य देवा वृजिनं शृणन्तु प्रत्यगेनं शपथा यन्तु तृष्टा: ।
वाचास्तेनं शरव ऋच्छन्तु मर्मन् विश्वस्यैतु प्रसितिं यातुधान: ।। RV10.87.15, AV8.3.14

कटु तीक्ष्ण शब्दों पर हिंसक प्रतिक्रिया जैसे घातक शत्रु के स्थान पर सभ्य समाज में उत्तम भाषा के प्रयोग से प्रतिद्वन्दी को निरस्त्र करने की क्षमता उत्पन्न होती है .

(Agnihotra) Empower the noble well behaved persons to defeat the evil tendency to react to harsh speech by violence or harsher words. Ability to disarm the wrong doers by well spoken words is developed in a civil society.

यो पौरुषेयेण क्रविषा समंक्ते यो अश्व्येन पशुना यातुधान: ।
यो अघ्न्याया भरति क्षीरमग्ने तेषां शीर्षाणि हरसापि वृश्च ।। RV10.87.16,AV8.3.15

पाशविक आचरण जो स्वार्थ वश अपने पशुओं पर अत्याचार करते हैं, घोड़ों को भरपेट भोजन नहीं देते ,समाज में अमानवीय व्यवहार करते हैं , गौओं से बलात ज़बरदस्ती दूध निकालते हैं , उन की मानसिकता धार्मिक वृत्ति से अग्निहोत्रादि करने से ठीक होती है.

Those who fill their belly by starving people, those who live by stealing horse feed, those who forcibly steal milk of cows, they should be eliminated by strong actions.( Regular performers of Agnihotra develop the temperaments of “Manyu” and there by destroy the enemies of society.)

संवत्सरीणं पय उस्रियायास्तस्य माशीद्यातुधानो नृचक्ष: ।
पीयूषमग्ने यतमस्तितृप्सात् तं प्रत्यञ्चमर्चिषा विध्य मर्मन् ।। RV10.87.17,AV8.3.17

जो अमानवीय ढंग से गौ का दोहन साल भर करते हैं, जो नवजातबछड़े को पीयूष ( आरम्भ दूध भी स्वयं उपयोग करते हैं ,उन की इस प्रकार की प्रतिकूल भावनाओं का सात्विक यज्ञादि करने से निराकरण होता है.

Those who milk the cow throughout the year, themselves consume the colostrums meant for newborn calf year after year; their conduct undergoes change by following the agnihotra in life.

विषं गवां यातुधाना: पिबन्त्वा वृश्च्यन्तामदितये दुरेवा: ।
परैनान् देवो सविता ददातु परा भागमोषधीनां जयन्ताम् ।। RV10.87.18 AV8.3.16

इस प्रकार से प्राप्त किया गया दूध विष समान होता है. ऐसे दूध के सेवन से अनेक असाध्य रोग उत्पन्न हो जाते हैं . ऐसे लोग गौशाला में यज्ञादि कर के दूध मे ओषधि तत्व को भी बढ़ा पाएंगे. विष तुल्य दूध को सुधारना तथा गोमूत्रादि का पान भी करना चाहिए .

Milk derived forcibly from cows is poisonous and leads to innumerable incurable diseases. Perform Agnihotra among cows in order that their milk is full of medicinal nutritive qualities. Along with good milk, Cow urine should also be taken for drinking.

सनादग्ने मृणसि यातुधानान् न त्वा रक्षांसि पृतनासु जिग्यु: ।
अनु दह सहमूरान् क्रव्यादो मा ते हेत्या मुक्षत दैव्याया: ।। RV10.87.19 AV8.3.18

चिरकाल से राक्षसी वृत्ति के रोगाणु प्रजाजन (मनुष्यों और पशुओं) को पीड़ा देकर उनका मांस खाते रहे हैं. अगिनि होत्र यज्ञादि के प्रकाश्मय वज्र से ही इन का विनाश होता है,

Agnihotra have always destroyed the disease carrying germs the enemies of men and animals disease carrying germs in the environments. Agnihotra should be performed in such a manner that it succeeds in completely destroying these infections.

(This has reference to the scale and size of Agnihotra performances to match the scale and size of the objectives.)

त्वं नो अग्ने अधरादुदक्तात् त्वं पश्चादुत रक्षा पुरस्तात् ।
प्रति ते ते अजरासस्तपिष्ठा अघशंसं शोशुचतो दहन्तु ।। RV10.87.20,AV8.3.19

अग्निहोत्र द्वारा ही सब ओर से रोगाणुओं को नष्ट कर के पूर्ण सुरक्षा प्राप्त होती है.

Agnihotra should be adequate to destroy all the infections on all sides from top to bottom and from front to our back.

पश्चात् पुरस्तादधरादुदक्तात् कवि: काव्येन परि पाहि राजन् ।
सखे सखायमजरो जरिम्णेऽग्ने मर्ताँ अमर्त्यस्त्वं न: ।।RV 10.87.21,AV8.3.20

यज्ञ देवता अमर्त्य हैं वही हम मर्त्यों को सदैव एक सखा के रूप में वेद मंत्रों द्वारा स्वस्थ जरारहित शरीर और मानसिकता प्रदान करते हैं .

The immortal institution of Agnihotra provides protection from all sides. This institution that like a true friend with Veda Mantras of Agnihotra provides a lifelong is an everlasting immortal strategy for healthy body and mind for us mortals.

परि त्वाग्ने पुरं वयं विप्रं सहस्य धीमहि ।
धृषद्वर्णं दिवेदिवे हन्तारं भंगुरावताम् ।। RV10.87.22,AV8.3.22

अग्निहोत्र द्वारा चित्त वृत्तियों का निरोध होता है. प्रति दिन मंत्रोच्चारण के साथ अग्निहोत्र राक्षसी वृत्तोयों का नाश करके मन को निर्मल बनाता है

Wise men perform Yajnas to obtain from Agnihotras all-round protection of their powerful blinding irradiance. Agnihotra are providers of bounties by always destroying our enemies the baser instincts.

विषेण भंगुरावत: प्रति ष्म रक्षसो दह ।
अग्ने तिग्मेन शोचिषा तपुरग्राभिर्ऋष्टिभि: ।। RV10.87.23,AV8.3.23

हमारी राक्षसीवृत्तियों को एक एक कर यज्ञाग्नि भस्म कर देती है वासनाएं जल जाती हैं. तीव्र ज्ञान की ज्योति सूर्य के समान सब अवगुण दाहक है.

Powerful, intense flames of Agnihotra turn to ashes all those indulging in demonical behavior by developing virtuous mentality…

प्रत्यग्ने मिथुना दह यातुधाना किमीदिना ।
सं त्वा शिशामि जागृहयदब्धं विप्र मन्मभि: ।। RV10.87.24,

पाशविक वृत्तियो के मिथुन- द्वंद्व (जैसे काम –क्रोध, लोभ – मोह, मद – मत्सर ) हर समय अब क्या खाएं , औरों को पीड़ित कर के क्या हड़प करें केवल यही विचार रहता है, यज्ञाग्नि अ न्त:करण शुद्ध कर के इन वासनाओं से मुक्ति दिला कर अहिंसक बनाता है.

Duality of indecision –to be or not to be- is acting like an enemy of life. Create the wisdom in our temperaments (by Agnihotra and Vedic education) to have clear vision for leading a healthy life.

प्रत्यग्ने हरसा हर: शृणीहि विश्वत: प्रति ।
यातुधानस्य रक्षसो बलं वि रुज वीर्यम् ।। RV10.87.25, AV 13.2.22

आसुरी भावनाएं अति प्रबल होती हैं , इन पीड़ा देने वाली राक्षसी वृत्तियों से यज्ञाग्नि का तेज विशेष रूप से भग्न करता है.

Agnihotra and Vedic wisdom empower to destroy the demonical enemies from our life (both in our minds the ill thoughts and disease organisms in the physical environments)

विषेणं भङ्गुरावत: प्रति स्म रक्षसो जहि।

अग्ने तिग्मेनशोचिषा तपुग्राभिरर्चभि: ॥ AV8.3.23

यज्ञाग्नि कुटिल व्यवहार करने वाले राक्षसों को अपने व्यापक तेज और तप्ताग्री ज्वालाओं से उलट कर नष्ट कर देते हैं

Agnihotra overpowers and destroys by its powerful flames the enemy organisms that promote unhealthy life.

वि ज्योतिषा बृहता भात्यग्निराविर्विश्वानि कृणुते महित्वा ।

प्रादेवीर्माया: सहते दुरेवा: शिशीते शृङ्गे रक्षभ्यो विनिक्ष्वे ॥ AV 8.3.24

सब से महान ज्योति पुंज सूर्य भी अपनी तीक्ष्ण तिरछी किरणों के द्वारा आसुरी दु:ख प्रद मय्यओं को दूर करता है .

The largest source of illumination SUN with its vast resource is also performing the actions to destroy diseases by its rays that come in slanting and straight manner. (This has a clear reference to UVB –Ultra Violet B in the slant morning and evening sun rays as source of Vitamin D and IR-Infra Red rays for solar pasteurization)

ये ते शृङ्गे अजरे जातवेद स्तिग्महेती भ्रह्मसंशिते ।

ताभ्यां दुर्हार्दमभिदासन्त किमीदिनं प्रत्यञ्चमर्चिषा जतवेदो वि निक्ष्व ॥ AV8.3.25

The two horns –the direct heat of flames and radiated energy never get old and lose their effectiveness to destroy our enemies. In fact they become more deeply penetrating & forceful by the mantras that are chanted simultaneously.

अग्नी रक्षांसि सेधति शुक्रशोचिरमर्त्य: ।

शुचि: पावक ईड्य: ॥ AV8.3.26

White flames of the Agnihotra also make the entire environment clean and pure white.