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VEDAS : IS THERE MONISM OR POLYTHEISM IN THEM?

May 2, 2014 rdhoot 2 Comments

VEDAS : IS THERE MONISM OR POLYTHEISM IN THEM?

Author : Pt Dharmdev Vidyamartand

From the Book “Veda:The Myths and Reality” ( A reply to Vedic Age )

One of the subjects which has generated a lot of controversy among the scholars is whether the Vedas teach polytheism, henotheism, monism or monotheism.

Before discussing this question, however, let us discuss what these terms really mean. Polytheism means belief in the plurality of gods, each with a sphere of his own in the governance of the this universe. “In simple words, it means Worship of many gods or Gods.

By monism is meant “development of the universe from a monad or from a single element.

lt corresponds to what is generally called as the principle that nothing else except Brahma (God) or the Absolute exists.

The Henotheism denotes that each of several divinities is regarded as the Supreme-each in its sphere.

And monotheism is belief in the existence of only One God.

Westem scholars like Clayton have said that there is polytheism in the Vedas. Even Max Muller who saw in Rigveda”s hymn 10.121 an expression of One God, “expressed with such power and decision, that it will make us hesitate before we deny to the Aryans, an instinctive monotheism which, however, comes out with a rider : “This is one of the hymns which has always been suspected as modem by European interpreters”

Even while commenting on Rigveda’s “प्रजापते न त्व दे तानन्यो विश्वा जातानि परी ता बभूव” he says, “This is the last verse, into my mind, most suspicious of all.”

lt is obvious that this suspicion has been raised deliberately by Max Muller and other western scholars as their study of the Vedas was biased and they were not willing to accept monotheism in the Vedas.

This is the reason why they have also created confusion while translating “कस्मै देवाय हविषा विधेम” as “to which God shall we offer worship”. ln fact they want to show that there are many gods and the devotee is wondering as to whom to Worship. (ln fact कस्मै देवाय is answered by “प्रजापति” as “क” stands for “प्रजापति” as clear from Satpath : “को हि प्रजापति अथवा प्रजापतिर्वक ”

Max Muller has, in fact, coined a new word “Hen0theism” to show the worship of many “single Gods” or a number of independent deities in the Vedas.

For instance in his book “Ancient Sanskrit Literature ” Max Muller writes :” Each Vedic poet seems to exalt the particular god to whom he happens to be singing, to a position of supremacy. It would be easy to ﬁnd, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as Supreme and Absolute. ln the first hymn of the Second Book of the Rigveda, Agni is called the Ruler of the universe, the Lord of men, the Wise King, the Father, the Brother, the Son, the friend of men, nay all the powers, and names of others are distinctly ascribed to Agni. Indra is celebrated as the strongest in the hymns as well as in the Brahmnas, and the burden of one of the songs of the Tenth book is ” विश्वस्मादिन्द्र उत्तर “. (Indra is greater than all.) Of soma it is said that he was born great, and that he conquers everyone. He is called the king of the world, he has the power to prolong the life of men

and is the maker of heaven and earth; of Agni, of Surya, of lndra and Vishnu. ln the very next hymn, addressed to Varuna, it is the Varuna who is, to the mind of the poet, Supreme and Almighty.”

Clarifying this concept hynotheism A.C Clayton writes in the “Rigveda and Vedic Religion :-

“In his Writings Max Muller constantly referred to this and coined the word Hynotheism or Kathenotheism to express what he re-garded as a ‘peculiar character’ of the ancient Vedic religion.

It denotes that each of several divinities is regarded as highest. The one that was worshipped and that they, therefore, treated him as if he were absolutely being independent and Supreme, alone present to the mind of the worshipper.”

In effect, as pointed out by Dwij Das in his book “Rigveda Unveiled”, the Rishis have been reduced to the position of “sycophants or cowardly liars, who could call each single god, as the one Supreme Being, only to avert the wrath of that God. Knowing at the same time, that they are not telling the Truth.”

Clayton and a few other scholars, though denying monotheism in the Vedas, say that they regard this practice of glorifying one God exclusively as “a species of poetic licence by which a singer magnified the god whom he was invoking, rather than an evidence that the poet actually claimed that the god to whom he was at the moment referring was the superior of all others”

We, however, do not agree with Clayton and other scholars that such descriptions are due to poetic license either. We are not prepared to believe that there is any scope for such poetic licence in view of overwhelming evidence of monotheism in the Vedas. The Vedas teach monotheism or the Worship of one God in the purest form . They teach that God is Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent Lord of the universe. He is absolutely formless and perfect.

The vedas declare :

Monotheism in the Vedas has not been stated more forcefully than in the following mantras from the Atharvaveda where God has been described as One and the only One. :

(He (God) is called neither the second, nor the third, nor yet the fourth. He is called neither the ﬁfth, nor the sixth, nor yet the seventh. He is neither the eighth, nor the ninth, nor yet the tenth.)

He takes care of all that breathes and of all that does not breathe. He has got all this conquering power, He is the one, one and the only one.

All these luminous forces of nature become one in Him. How emphatically the oneness of God has been asserted in such passages and how absurd and false is the view advocated by some prejudiced Western scholars that the Vedas teach polytheism.

We will give some more evidence of the Oneness of God in the Vedas.

In the हिरण्यगर्भ hymn, (in Regveda) consisting of 10 mantras, God has been described as प्रजापति and more than four times it is clearly stated that.

He is One and the only One.

Following mantras from this hymn may be quoted to clarify this point :-

(God who possesses all the luminous Worlds within Himself and exists from the very eternity, He is only One Manifest Lord of the created creatures. He is supporting this earth and this heaven. Unto that All-Blissful Divinity, we offer our humble worship.”)

(He who is the Giver of physical vigour and spiritual power, He whose order is carried out by all the luminous objects and by the enlightened beings, whose shelter is immortality and turning away from whom is death, unto that all blissful Divinity, we offer our humble Worship.)

(He who by the greatness of His power, is the Sole Ruler of living and lifeless objects existing in this world, He, who is the Lord of these bipeds and quadrupeds unto that All-Blissful Divinity, we offer our humble Worship.)

(When water in its subtler form, possessing mighty force within itself, became manifest, therein was held the Universal life force which of heat and energy, it was then the One Universal life force of all the luminous objects became manifest, unto that All blissful Divinity, we offer our humble Worship.)

Atharvaveda says. He, the only One is the Giver of joy, and should be worshipped: “एक एव नमस्य: सुशवा:”

Samveda also describes God as One एक इत्”:

The Oneness of God has been poetically described in the following mantra from the Rigveda :-

(He whose eyes go every where, who faces all sides, whose arms are here, there all around and whose feet in all directions–is the Only One Divine Being who has created all these heavens.)

God is proclaimed as ‘एक (one) and अन्तमानुष: (unparalled) in the following mantra from the Rigveda:-

Addressing God as “अग्नि” Rigveda in the following mantras in its ﬁrst hymn of the Second Mandela says:

Just as a person is called brother, father, uncle, husband etc because of different relationships he bears to other members of the same family, so also God is described differently because of his different attributes.

He is called (Agni) when we remember him as an embodiment of knowledge and इन्द्र: (Indra) when we want to denote His vast wealth.

To denote his Omnipresence, we call him विष्णु(Vishnu) and to give an idea of His greatness, we described His as ब्रह्मा (Brahma).

By virtue of his Supremacy in knowledge, He is known as ब्रह्मणस्पति (Brahmanaspati). His purifying power entitles Him to be called वरुण (Varuna).

As he loves everyone He मित्र(Mitra) and as He isjust, He is अर्यमा (Aryaman).

He is रूद्र (Rudra) because He comes harsh on the wicked, द्रविणोद (Dravinoda) because He is Giver of wealth and strength, सोम: (Soma) because He has created roots and herbs etc. God is also described as ‘सोम (Soma), पुष(Pushan) and भग (Bhaga) as evident from the following mantras from Rigveda;

(O, Soma,Thou, “who hast created these herbs, this water and these cows”, Thou who art present in the entire firmament and removeth all darkness by Thy illumination, Thou, who art Creator of good intellect, Thou who art also Creator of firmament, sky, earth, fire, sun and air etc. Thou art (“Pusan”) because of Thy powers to strengthen and revive because Thou art worthy of our Worship. Thou art the Master of the whole universe and art present in all the Worlds.)

Several other mantras, can be quoted to show that अग्नि (Agni) ,आदित्य (Aditya) , वायु (Vayu) ,चन्द्रमा(Chandrama), शुक्र(Shukra) , आप (Aap) , प्रजापति (Prajapati) are all different names of the same One God and only denote His verious attributes.

For instance, take the following mantra from Yajurveda (32.1)

(Here God has been described differently because of His different attributes : अग्नि(Agni) because He is embodiment of knowledge, आदित्य (Aditya) because. He is Eternal, वायु(Vayu) because He is the cause of all movement in the world (वा गति गन्धनयो: )-“चन्द्रमा” (Chandrama) because He is pleasing to everybody, ( चदी आल्हादे ) -“शुक्र (Shukra) because He is pure (शुनिरपूर्ति मावे) (ब्रह्मा) because He is the Greatest of all, CNN: (Apa) because He is Omnipresent and प्रजापति (Prajapati) because He looks after His subjects).

The mantras published by Max Muller from Rigveda’s 2.1 under the caption “Agni”, in fact, sing the glory of One God who has been described here as अग्नि (Agni)

Can anyone believe that these adjectives have been used for simple fire? Thus Max Muller and his followers only betrayed their bias and partiality when without probing deep into the meaning of

these words, they played havoc with them.

Now the question arises 1 how can we reconcile the idea of One God with several references to 33 devas (gods) in the Vedas ?

A lot of misunderstanding results from the Western scholars who have taken ‘ ‘देव’ ‘ as “God” everywhere.

देव, according to Yaskacharya, the celebrated author of Nirukta (Vedic Philology) means one who confers some advantage upon us, can illumine things i.e. explain or throw light upon them, and one who is the source of light :-

The word देव (Deva) with its root a comprehensive term covering brave men, devotees of God, learned persons, Brahmins, objects like sun, moon, ﬁre, electricity.

Following are some of the meanings of देव occuring in the Satpath Brahman :

THE 33 DEVAS

There is reference to 33 devas in the Vedas at several place. For instance, a clear reference has been made to them in Rigveda’s 1.45/27, 8/28/1,88/30/2 and Yajurveda’s 20/26 etc.

There is also reference to the 33 devas in Satpath and other Brahmins (which are commentaries on the Vedas).

Satpata says that : there are 33 Devas which manifest the glory of God. Of them are 8 Vasus, 11 Rudras, 12 Aditya, lndra and Prajapati. The eight Vasus are (1) Agni or ﬁre (2) earth (3) air (4) superterrestrial space (5) sun (6) moon (7) atmosphere (8) stars.

These are called Vasus (abodes) because in them resides all that lives, moves or exists.

The eleven Rudras are the ten pranas (vital forces) enlivening the human frame and the eleventh is the Atma or the soul. lndra is all pervading. Prajapati is Yajna.

The 12 Adityas are the twelve solar months making the course of time. They are called Adityas as, by their cyclic motion, they produce changes in all objects.

Thus it is clear that calling sun, moon, earth, ﬁre earth etc as ‘devas ‘, the Vedic religion cannot be described as Polytheistic.

It is, however, clearly stated in Rigveda that God is the Supreme Lord of all the devas :

(God is the One Life and Lord of all devas and, therefore, we worship Him, who is Giver of all happiness, peace and bliss.)

Dependence of devas on God has been brought out by the Vedas in several mantras.

For instance in Atharvaveda, after describing God as महद यक्षम(the Most Venerable Supreme Being), it is Stated that devas live around God as the creepers around a tree :

ARE DEVAS IMMORTAL ?

ARE THEY PROOF OF POLYTHEISM

Some of the western scholars, on the basis of the portrayal of 33 devas in satpath, assert that it is a clear cut evidence of polytheism in the Vedas.

To contradict this view, first of all, let us be clear that ‘devas’ as described in the Vedas, do not necessarily only stand for gods.

The word देव(deva) which has its root as दिनु (Dinu) is a comprehensive term covering the attributes of God; sometimes they stand for devotees of God and also learned persons; they also denote objects of Nature like Sun, Moon, Fire etc.

While Devas have been described as immortal in the Vedas; it has been clarified that they derive this immortality from God. This idea also occurs in Brahmanas and Upnishadas. ln Rigveda, for instance, it is stated that God alone bestows immortality on the devas :

In Yajurveda (32.l0) also, it is said that the devas live in the protection of God :

To God turn all devas after emancipation to enjoy the everlasting bliss.

lt has been clearly stated in the Rigveda that the learned and the wise describe the One existing God in many ways.

But despite this truth, Agni, Indra, Mitra, Varuna etc have come to be considered as separate gods. It will, therefore, be fruitful to know the signiﬁcance of these words to remove the mist surrounding them. We will also discuss what have come to be known as dual gods like मरुत: etc.

From the spiritual point of view, अग्नि stands for God who is also called as यमा, मातरिश्वा,इन्द्र, वरुण as stated in the following mantra from the Rigveda :

From the social point of view, the word अग्नि (‘Agni”) denotes

There are many mantras in the Vedas in which Agni has been used in the sense of an enlightened leader,

For instance, in the following mantra from the Rigveda, अग्नि: (for whom the adjectives used are ऋषि (seer), पवमान: (purifier) पांचजन्य: (dedicated to the welfare of the society) is requested to dispel all ignorance by his discourse :

The adjectives used as होता, पुरोहित(Knower of the rites of the Yajnas (priest), in the following mantra from the also leaves us in no doubt that the word अग्नि: has been used for an enlightened leader :

The same impression is conﬁnned by the use of such adjectives as शुचिव्रतत (who firmly observes the sacred vow) कवि: (sage or poet) for ‘Agni’ in the following mantra :

INDRA :-

The word इन्द्र primarily stands for God as it has been derived from the root “इदी परमैश्वर्य”.

It also stands for “soul° as it possesses great power being the master of the sages.

From the social point of view, the word ‘E’ stands for the king or president, or the commander in-chief-of the Anny (सेना इन्द्राणी-इन्द्र:-सेनापति: ).

There is no room for doubt that the word Ef: has been used for God in several mantras in the Vedas in which He has been described as the Creator of the Universe and Bestower of happiness.

ln the following mantra, for instance, which occurs in Samaveda, Rigveda and Atharvaveda, God, described as “Indra” has been requested to ﬁll us with knowledge in the same way as a father does to his son :

In the following mantra from Rigveda, God addressing Indra (soul) tells about the power inherent in it :

(March forward and use your power, None can stop Thy thunderbolt. Everyone is subdued by Thy strength.)

lndra (soul) is made to describe its own power in the following mantra from Rigveda:

(I can face one enemy (lust) and anger), I can also face three enemies (lust, anger and greed) etc.; I will crush all my enemies like husk in the granery.)

The use of word इन्द्र for king is undeniable in the following mantras from the Rigvedic Sukta in which इन्द्र has been described as स्वस्तिदा(engaged in welfare of others), वृषा(showerer of happiness on others) अभयं कर: (inspirer of fearless in others) :

Likewise रूद्र according to Swami Dayanand, stands for the just God who makes the wicked persons weep (रोदयति दुष्टान दंड प्रदानेनेति न्यायकारी परमेश्वर: ), a great hero who makes the enemies cry (रोदयति शत्रून इति रुद्रो महावीर:) the judge who inflicts heavy penalty on the wicked (रोदयति दुष्टान इति रुद्रो न्यायधीश:), the preceptor who imparts knowledge to others (रुत ज्ञानं राति-ददातिती रूद्र: उपदेशक: ), the germ which generates diseases (राति-ददातिती रुद्रो रोगुत्पादक: कृमि:) a doctor who removes the sufferings of others (रुत दुखं द्रावयतिती रुद्रो वैद्य: ).

Referring to Swami Dayanad”s view that all the gods mentioned in the Rigveda are simply variant names for one God, Dr. Griesward in his book “The Religion ofthe Rigveda” says : “This process of reduction from multiplicity to unity would have been easier if there had been no dual gods or group gods mentioned in the Rigveda”

But the correct study of What he has described as the dual gods or group gods like अग्नोजिमौ, अश्विनौ, मरुत: will reveal that these words, like other devas, have several meanings and do not stand for any particular god or gods as such.

Dr. Griesward’s remark that monotheistic interpretation of the Rigveda on the part of Swami Dayanand is “wild” and “unscientiﬁc” is also very surprising in view of the massive evidence we have given to support monotheism in the Vedas.

The quotations given earlier in this chapter are enough to support the existence of monotheism in the Vedas. Swami Dayananda, therefore, did nothing which was purely imaginative or unscientiﬁc.

Let us examine some words which have been mistaken by westem scholars as dual gods.

The similar meanings of अग्नीषोमौ are also found in Aitteriya, Satpath Brahamanas etc. For instance:

Following are some of the meanings of “इन्द्राग्नी” :-

Some of the meanings of अश्विनौ are given below-

Swami Dayanand has at several places interpreted अश्विनौ as . This deﬁnition of अध्यापकोउपदेशकौ is substantiated by the second and third mantra of Rigveda”s I-120 in which the adjective विद्वांसौ has been used for अश्विनौwho have been requested to impart knowledge.

As मरुत ﬁgures prominently among the so- called group gods, examination of this word is very necessary. HW: does not denote God.

In ताण्डय महाब्राह्मण, मरुत: has been described as मरुत रश्मय: (l.4.l25) and in Aitareya as ( आपो वा मरुत: )(6.2O)

In Nighantu मरुत: reads as पदनामसु which stands for monsoons.

Swami Dayanand has given the following meanings of the word मरुत: in course of his commentary on the Vedas:-

No scholar can dismiss Swami Dayanand”s interpretations of the word मरुत: to be a pure fabrication of his mind. As it is clear from the above, the word has not been used for God. Some of the synonyms used for this word in the Vedas, are =नर:, मर्या, मानुष: etc. .

In Rigveda for instance, at many places (particularly l.39.3,8.20.lO,l.64.l0,10.86.8,8.552, the word नर: has been used for मरुत:

ln the following mantra, for example, words नर: and मर्य: have been used for मरुतो देवता :-

The word गृहमेघास: (householder) has been used for TRE: in the following mantra from Rigveda (7.59.l0) :-

The synonym for मरुत: in this mantra from Atharvaveda given below (7.773) is मनुषास: (thoughtful men) :-

ln a number of mantras in the Rigveda (see for instance 5.53.3,5.59.6,5.6,4,7.56.l,l.77.l)the word मर्या: has been used for मरुत: which means the ‘mortal men’. Sayanacharya has also, at some places, in his Commentary written मनुषरूपा वा मरुत: (see Rig. 10.83) While commenting on the two mantras from the Rigveda (8.89) Sayanacharya has described ITR-T: as persons who speak less ( मित भाषिण:)and who Worship God( स्तोतार: ).

Much before Sayanacharya, Samveda commentator Madhava, who belongs to the Sixth century, has also while explaining (प्र व इन्द्राय बृहते) say हे ( मरुत:) मदोया ऋत्विज:).

Bharata Swami while explaining बृहदिन्द्रय गायत मरुतो वृत्रहन्तमम writes मरुत:- स्तोतर: महत रुवन्तिती मरुत: The mantras बृहदिन्द्राय गायत also occurs in Yajurveda (20.30) Both Bharat Swami and Mahidhara give the same meaning of the Word मरुत:

MAXMULLER AND MARUTA

While Maxmuller has given the meaning ofमरुत: as (Storm gods) in his translation of hymns relating to them, at places he deviates from his usual meaning and uses the word in the sense of नरा: (men).

For instance, while translating the following mantra from the Rigveda (1.393), he uses “O ye men” for Maruti :

(When Ye overthrow what is ﬁrm, O ye men)

In the following mantra from Rigveda (1 .85.8), also Maxmuller describes Maruta as “men terible to behold”

The word “men” has also been used for Maruta in his translation of the following mantra from Rigveda

(He, oh men, whose libations ye want to enjoy, that mighty one, O shakers, will obtain your favour with brilliant riches etc.)

Thus it is clear from the above that though there is description of many devas in the Vedas and they denote different meanings there is only One God who is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent.

The existence of many devas in other words, does not interfere with the concept of One God.

THE VEDAS AND THE MONISTIC PHILOSOPHY

We must, however, clarify that though there is monotheism in the Vedas, there is no enunciation of monistic philosophy in them.

The whole relationship between God and soul has been clearly defined in the following mantra from the Rigveda (where both of them have been described as two birds sitting on the same tree):

In the above mantra, it is stated that जीवात्मा (soul) and परमात्मा (God) are two birds who are friendly to each other. Both of them are enternal and are sitting, as though on the tree of matter. One of them (soul) is to reap the fruits ofpast action and the other just looks on. Elaborating this, says Mundakakopanishad :-

On the same tree sits जीवात्मा (soul) immersed and deluded account of his ignorance and helplessness. But, when he sees the other, the Lord, who is worshipped by all and His glory, he becomes freed from sorrow. This shows the difference between God and soul.

While God is all-pervading, the soul is not, while God is Onmiscient, the Soul is not, and therefore, the soul is a prey to grief and sorrow. While God is Omnnipotent, the soul ‘s power is limited. Their relationship is that of the father and the son, the master and the servant, the King and his subject, the adorable and the adored.

Says the Taitteriya Upanishada :

(God is the embodiment of Bliss. The soul enjoys Bliss only by attaining Him.)

The above quotations from the Upanishadas (which are at many places only the Explanation of the Vedic mantras or expression in different words of what is contained in the Vedas) show that in the mantra “हा सुपर्णा” the reference is to God and soul and not (intellect) and जीवात्मा (soul)

That God and soul are different is also evident from the following mantra which occurs in Rigveda and Yajurveda :

God, who is Creater of all Worlds, is different from them and yet within them. People do not know about it because their mind is clouded by ignorance.

The same idea finds expression in Satpath Brahmana :-

God is one who is present in the soul and yet who is different. It is God which controls the soul)

The same supremacy of God over soul has been established in the mantra given below in which God has been described as अद्भुत(wonderful) प्रियम( very loving) and काम्भम्(worthy of the soul’s adulation) :

In the following mantra, God has been described as भुज्य: सखा(a worthy friend) of soul thus clearly establishing their mutual relationship.

ln the following mantra, it is stated that the only way (soul) to seek salvation is to know God who is (Full of lustre) (Great) and (Beyond darkness) :-

We may also quote another mantra from the Rigveda (8. l 6.6) which totally contradicts the monistic philosophy whose basic tenet is:-

Brahma alone is सत्य (true) and the whole creation is मिथ्या(false) and that the जीवात्मा (soul) is not different from Brahma.

The true relationship between the (soul) and (God) and (matter) indicated in the following mantra falsiﬁes the dictum (God alone is real, the world is illusory)

In this mantra it is stated that :

(a) We should offer our prayers only to God

(b) All objects like sun, moon etc are inferior to God because they are all inanimate and lifeless.

lt would also be wrong to presume that though the attributes of the world are visible, they appear to be so out of ignorance. This would be quite contrary to the teachings of the Vedas. For instance, in the following mantra from the Rigveda (2.15.1) not only God has been described as महतासत्यस्य: (true) but even His करणानि(Creations) are stated as महानि सत्या: (true)

The same idea has been clariﬁed in Rigveda”s 4.17.6 :

lt is stated here that all objects created by विश्वे सोमा: (God) are सत्रा अभवन: (true)

Even in Rigveda’s 10.55.6., it is stated that all the objects are सत्यम इत् (true) न मोघम (not false or useless) :-

In Yajurveda’s 40.8 also, it is clearly stated that God created this universe for the beneﬁt of the mankind with truthfulness or reality :

“This universe is not only true but it is different from Him.”

This idea occurs at several places in the vedas. For instance, it is stated in the following mantra from the Rigveda (1.4.14) that God is only One (11:63: ) and He has created this world (विश्वम) separately from Him (अन्यत) But because He is Omnipresent (मानुषक्), all this Creation is permeated by Him. There is no place where He is not present :-

The existence of God, separate from His creation, has also been mentioned in the following mantra from Rigveda (1.151.1) (which is also repeated in Samveda) :-

(i.e. God created this Universe which is separate from Him.)

|| इति ||

English, Vedic Religion, वेद, हिन्दी

Griha Pravesh Based on Paraskar Griha Sutra and Vedas

April 28, 2014 rdhoot 1 Comment

Author: Subodh Kumar

Griha Pravesh (Entry to NEW HOME ) Based on Paraskar Griha Sutra and Vedas.

पारस्कर गृह्सूत्र 3.4 के अनुसार

Announce entry in to the new HOME by entering through the decorated main door, carrying flower bouquets, gifts of fruits and sweets.
And carry in a bronze/Copper vessel mixed in water, milk, curd, honey, leaves of गूलर-Ficus Racemosa, पलाश टेसु – Butea Monosperma,कुशा Cyanodon Dactylon and Barley seeds. (Modern science has confirmed that all these ingredients are natural organic sanitizers and have fungicidal and bacticidal properties.)

While entering recite:

धर्मस्तूणा राजँ श्रीस्तूपमहोरात्रे द्वारफलके । इन्द्रस्य गृहा

वसुमन्तो वरूथिनस्तानहं प्रपद्ये सह प्रजाया पशुभि: सह ॥पागृ3.4.18.1

धर्म के आधार पर बने इस सुन्दर भवन में लक्ष्मी का निवास हो. ,दरवाज़े

खिड़कियों पर दिन रात सुरक्षा के लिए देवता उपस्थित रहें जिस से सारी धन

सम्पदा की सुरक्षा से मेरे आश्रित पुत्र पौत्र सुरक्षित रहें.

This house achieved by honest means should always ensure a prosperous living for the inmates. Gods may provide full protection and safety on all entrances –doors and windows to ensure wellbeing of all young children and dependants here.

यन्मे किञ्चि दस्त्युपहूत: सर्वगण्सखायसाधुसंवृत: ।

तां त्वा शाले sरिष्ट्वीरा गृहान्न: सन्तु सर्वत इति॥ पागृ 3.4.18.2

हम प्रार्थना करते हैं कि हमारा यह भवन हमारे परिवार जनों को सदा रोग मुक्त

सुरक्षा प्रदान करे.

We also pray that this house may always be free from any infections that may cause ill health or disease to the inmates.

Arrange to sit down and perform jointly with all the family a PUJA and HAWAN (if it can be done).

For Hawan/ Puja consider the following for reciting.

घी की आहुती

ओ३म् वास्तोष्पदे प्रति जानीह्यस्मान्‌ त्स्वावेशो अनमीवो भवा न: ।

यत्वेमहे प्रति तन्नो जुषस्व शं नो भव द्विपदे शं चतुष्पदे स्वाहा ॥ ऋग्वेद

7.54.1.पा गृ 3.4.7.1

मैं इस नये भवन में प्रवेश करता हूं। मेरा यह प्रवेश मंगलमय हो । हमारी रक्षा का भार तुम पर है। इस के लिए तुम आशीर्वाद दो कि मेरी देह, श्रेष्ठ, नीरोगी और स्वस्थ रहे। जिस किसी वस्तु की हमें अभिलाषा हो वह यथाशीघ्र प्राप्त हों । यह निवास हम सब के लिए कल्याणकारी हो.

I occupy this house to bring me good luck. This house may provide to me with healthy ambience to ensure good health. All my needs for this house may get fulfilled at appropriate times. .

2. ओ३म् वास्तोष्पदे प्रतरणोन एधि गयस्फानो गोभिरश्वेभिरन्दो ।

अजरासस्ते सख्ये स्याम पितेव पुत्रान्‌ प्रति नो जुषस्व ।

शं नो भव द्विपदे शं चतुष्पदे स्वाहा ।। ऋग्वेद 7.54.2,पागृ 3.4.7.2

हमारी चल सम्पत्ति की रक्षा करो । दुर्घटनाओं से सुरक्षा प्रदान करो । मित्र भाव से हमारे स्वास्थ्य और सम्पत्ति की वृद्धि करो । हम चिर तरुण बने रहें । इस घर से हम प्रेम की डोर से बंधे रहें ।

This house should provide complete safety to all fixtures, furnishings, fittings and movable property safety against thefts and accidents to ensure for us a relaxed carefree living, to make us feel always young and cheerful and to be attached to this place.

3 . ओ३म् वास्तोष्पदे शग्मया संसदा ते सक्षीमहि रण्वया गातुमत्या ।

पाहि क्षेम उत योगे वरं नो यूयं पात स्वस्तिभि: सदा न: ॥ ऋग्वेद7.54.3,

पागृ3.4.7..3

अति रमणीय और सुखदायक उत्तम वाणी, सहवास , और सभा पड़ोस से सदा

सुख सम्बंध बनाए रखें । हमारे प्राप्त धन और भविष्य में हमारी आय की रक्षा

करो । इस प्रकार हमारे कल्याण के सब साधनों की रक्षा करो ।

This house should ensure for us a very pleasant happy homely family and sweet atmosphere. We should be relaxed and on friendly terms with all our neighbors, that ensures complete safety and protection for our entire wellbeing and living here.

ओ३म् अमीवहा वास्तोष्पते विश्वा रूपाण्याविशन्‌ ।

सखा सुशेव एधि न: स्वाहेति ॥ ऋग्वेद 7.55.1 पागृ3.4.7.4

इस भवन में हमें रोगादि सुक्ष्माणुओ से सुरक्षा प्राप्त हो। सुंदर स्वास्थ्य दायक

वातावरण प्रदान करो ।

This house may always have disease free, healthy ambience of positive energy.

स्थालीपाक से आहुतियां खीर मिठाइ से हवन

(These are addressed to all different Devtas that have a role in our wellbeing.)

ओ३म् अग्निमिन्द्रं बृहस्पतिं विश्वाँश्च देवानुपह्वये ।सरस्वतीञ्च वाजीञ्चवास्तु मे दत्त वाजिन: स्वाहा ॥ पागृ3.4.8.1

This offering of food in to fire is to symbolize my wish that food in this house may promote the wisdom to lead an active life in welfare of the entire community.

ओ३म् सर्प देवजनान्त्सर्वान् हिमवन्तं सुदर्शनम्‌ । वसूँश्च रुद्रानादित्यानीशानं जगदै: सह । एतान्त्सर्वान्‌ प्रपद्येSहं वास्तु मे दत्त वाजिन: स्वाहा ॥ पागृ 3.4.8.2

This offering of food in to fire is to symbolize my wish that food in this house is to welcome the presence of health promoting, and disease (pollutants) removing agents in this house.

ओ३म् पूवह्णणमपराहणं चोभे मध्यन्दिना सह । प्रदोष्मर्धरात्रं चव्युष्टां देवीं महापथाम्‌ । एतांत्सर्वान्‌ प्रपद्येSहं वास्तु मे दत्त वाजिन: स्वाहा ॥ पागृ 3.4.8.3

This offering of food in to fire is to symbolize my wish that food in this house that the availability of Nature’s gift to ensure the living of our physical body along with our mental faculties to remain fully awake even during our sleep in the nocturnal 24 hours cycle.

ओ३म् कर्तारञ्च विकर्तारं विष्वकर्माणमोषधींश्च वनस्पतीन्‌ । प्रपद्येSहं वास्तु मे दत्त वाजिन: स्वाहा ॥ पागृ 3.4.8.4

This offering of food in to fire is to symbolize my wish that our life style in this house should ensure that the entire environment – ecosystem provides us complete welfare.

ओ३म् धातारं विधातारं निधीनांचपति सह । प्रपद्येSहं वास्तु मे दत्त वाजिन: स्वाहा ॥ पागृ 3.4.8.5

This offering of food in to fire is to symbolize my wish that Nature is our guardian angel to shower all its bounties for us to live happily and with peace in this house.

ओ३म् स्योनं शिवमिदं वास्तु दत्तंव्वब्रह्मप्रजापती। सर्वाश्च देवताश्च स्वाहा ॥पागृ 3.4.8.6

This offering of food in to fire is to symbolize my wish that my guardian angels ensure that I progress in life to reach highest levels of fame, prestige and prosperity.

After the hawan/Puja visit the entire house starting from the main entrance anoint all the walls on the four directions East-West- South-North with the sanitizing water mixture brought in the bronze/copper vessel , while reciting the following:

On the East side; श्रीश्च त्वा यशश्च पूर्वे सन्धौ गोपायेतामिति । पागृ 3.4.10

तुम्हारा यश (समाज में सम्मान) और धन सामर्थ्य तुम्हारी पूर्व दिशा की रक्षा करें

Your reputation and financial strength may provide protection from Eastern side.

On the South side; यज्ञश्च त्वा च दक्षिणे सन्धौ गोपायेतामिति । पागृ 3.4.11

तुम्हारे समाजिक कार्य और दान तुम्हारी तुम्हारी दक्षिण दिशा से रक्षा करें

Your social work and charities may provide you protection from South side.

On the West side; अन्नञ्च त्वा ब्राह्मणाश्च पश्चिमे सन्धौ गोपायेतामिति । पागृ 3.4.12

तुम्हारा अन्न और सुमति तुम्हारी पश्चिम दिशा से रक्षा करें

The wisdom in your living and your food may provide protection from West side.

On the North side; ऊर्क्‌च त्वा सूनृता चोत्तरे सन्धौ गोपायेतामिति । पागृ 3.4.13

तुम्हारा तेज और सत्याचरण तुम्हारी उत्तर दिशा से रक्षा करें

Your image in community as supporter of just causes may provide protection from North side.

(Perhaps too much should not be read in mention of specific directions East West South North. Symbolically it is only reminder as to the type of your life style that provides protection from all the four sides)

After these ceremonies and a community meal, and thanking every one, while departing the elderly persons may bless the house holder by reciting following;

इमे गृहा मयोभुव ऊर्जस्वन्त: पयस्वन्त: ।

सर्व भवन्तोsत्राssनन्दिता: सदा भूयासु ॥ अ‍थर्व 7.60.2

तुम्हारा जीवन सुख समृद्धि दूध से पूर्ण हो. (दूधो नहाओ पूतो फलो)

Departing guests wish the householder a living full of prosperity and love.

ओ३म् सस्तु माता सस्तु पिता सस्तु श्वा सस्तु विश्पति: ।

ससन्तु सर्वे ज्ञातय: सस्त्वयमभितो जन: ॥ ऋग्वेद 7.55.5

इस घर के माता पिता, घर की रक्षा करने वाले बुज़ुर्ग , सब सम्बन्धी अड़ोस पड़ोस के जन सुख चैन से रहें।

Departing guests also wish the householder a carefree happy living in the entire neighborhood.

English, Uncategorized, Vedic Religion

National Planning in Rig Veda

March 27, 2014 GuestPost Leave a comment

National Planning in Rig Veda

By Subodh Kumar

Email- subodh1934@gmail.com

If one were to identify the problems being faced by our Nation today and list out in order of priority, the tasks facing us, following would be considered as a reasonable blue print for future action:

1. Education System Overhaul to teach future generations to grow in to responsible, fearless, confident, energetic, self motivated, honest good citizens in the service of society and provide Good teachers and mind motivators.

2. Water conservation and rain water harvesting.

Measures to control Global Warming and repair of damaged ozone
cover.( to avert Natural disasters like Tsunami and Draughts)

5 Sustainable disposal of Sanitation, Sewage and Pollution

6 Organic Agriculture, for healthy disease, poverty free society

7 Honesty and transparency in public life, underpinning the role of

Teachers, Governments, leaders and the media, for educating

Cultivation of proper non exploitative mental attitudes in

Society

7. Eradicate Corruptions and Parallel Economy.

8. Bio technology research to work on systems in a cow, which converts

Fodder (uneatable agriculture waste) to probiotic nutrition for Humans, and maintains soil health.

9. Promote transparency economy and check on ‘Black money’

10. Tackle the socially deviant behaviour

It may come as a big surprise that this agenda is found given in the same order of priority as the actions of the Prime Minister of the Country, and in this chronological order, are the subject explained in Rig Veda 2.14..

RigVeda 2-14 Rishi-Gritsamda Devta-Indra

Sub: Adhwaryu

Introductory note: – The term Adhwaryu has traditionally, come to designate a person responsible for making arrangements for carrying out a Karmakand Yagna.

According to Monier Williams, Adhwaryu is a person,

who measures the ground. First of all he has to make the project note for all the facilities, which will be required for the Yagna. They could range in sizes from small agnihotra to a large community Yagnas. Obviously he has to first survey the required size of. Land. Then only he can proceed to acquire, level and make it fit for the Yagna.
He has to build the altar. For the building of altar he has to have command on civil engineering /architectural skills to specify and estimate the quality and quantity of construction material like bricks and mortar from which the altar will be made. He must have materials management skills to arrange for delivery at the Yagna site. He should also have civil construction skills to carry out the construction of the Altar.
He has to prepare the sacrificial vessels and implements. This means, he also has to specify correct materials of which these implements will be made of. He has to specify the design of these vessels and the implements, which will be required for the specific Yagna. This means he should also have engineering skills involving material science and fabrication techniques.
He has to fetch wood and water. Thus he also has to make an estimate of the quantities, which will be required for the Yagna, and ensure proper quality and quantity of fuel wood and water to be available at hand. He should have knowledge and awareness about natural resources.
He has to light the fire. He is also expected to know the art of creating a sustainable fire. An engineer to develop sustainable source of Energy.
He has to bring the animals for the Yagna. Thus he has to be a practicing veterinarian to know and care for the various animals. And their role in society.- and so on.

Considering that the Yagnas happened to be often very large community based activities, it is reasonable to submit that to day an Adhwaryu, will be a highly trained and skilled General Manager CEO, Educator, Engineer, Veterinarian, a Materials Manager, an Environmentalist, a Multidiscipline well educated project Manager. In fact an Adhwaryu acts as the Prime Minister presiding over the activities and the planning of the YAGYA. Running of the Nation is also a Yagna. Indeed Adhwaryu has been translated as a Prime Minister in many writings.

Rig Vedic interpretations available to day, from Sayan/ MaxMuller to later day Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Shri Damodar Satawlekarji, Swami Satya Prakash Saraswati and Shri Aurobindo , give very deep poetical interpretations of this Sukta. Wilson and Griffith also make significant addition to the vast scholarship. However with the traditional concepts which see the role of an Adhwaryu as limited to only the Karmakand Yagna, the full significance of this Rigvedic Sukta remains at best, spiritually and poetically masked.

But the same RigVedic Sukta lays bare its entire context, when the full life sized concepts behind terms like Adhwaryu, Indra, Soma are given interpretations like Swami Dayanand and Yogi Aurobindo.

(This interpretation is based largely on the RigVed Bhashya of Swami Dayanand Saraswati)

RV2.14

इस सूक्त की विशेषता और महत्व.

Significance of this VED Sookt

(Subodh Kumar)

Shows most modern scientific civilized social concepts from Rig Ved

1. This sookt is addressed to Adhwaryu . He is one who adopts nonviolent-(Democratic) strategies for implementing all projects , but operates on war footing – Always highly charged in his actions.
2. The Sookt sets out to describe the duties of a King/governor of a nation. And sets down topics in order of priorities for governance/life style for a sustainable prosperous welfare state.
3. It Starts with Global warming and Ozone layer protection.
4. Proceeds to define roles of a good governance – Education, Social welfare rehabilitation after natural calamities, Rain water Harvesting, Food safety & security, IPM ( integrated Pest Management) dealing with hoarders and black marketers, Responsible media.
5. Maharshi Dayanand’s incisively modern interpretations are very clearly evident here. He just only falls short of by a hair breadth in making use of modern scientific terminology in Vedas.

ऋषि: = गृत्समद (आङ्गिरस: शौनहोत्र: पश्चाद्) भार्गव: शौनक: , प्रथम में

भार्गव: शौनक: था , भार्गव: भृगु पुत्र होने से भार्गव कहलाया था अर्थात खूब तपस्वी था, और ‘शौनक:’ = ( शुन्‌ गतौ) खूब क्रिया शील था . जो पश्चाद्‌ बना, गृत्समद: = ‘गृणाति इति गृत्स:’ ‘माद्यतीति मद:’=प्रभु की स्तुति करता है, सदैव प्रसन्न रहता है ।आंगिरस=अंगों की शक्ति से सम्पन्न है, । शौनहोत्र: = (शौनं सुखं जुहोति) लोक सुख के लिए अपने सुख की आहुति देता है ।

देवता:- इन्द्र: = जन कल्याण हेतु कर्मठ सदैव विजयी उत्साहपूर्ण क्रियाशील देवत्वधारण किये हुवा व्यक्तित्व ।

छन्द- त्रिष्टुप् ।

Rigveda 2-14 (STAFF FUNCTIONS)

1.First Priority

सर्वोच्च प्राथमिकता

उत्तम शिक्षा व्यवस्था

Creation of excellent education system to provide the society with self motivated ,creative talent for its all round welfare and progress.

( महर्षि दयानंद अन्वयार्थ आधारित ) O Managers (Adhvayavo)! Provide (Sinchata) for Entrepreneurship (Indraya) sufficient (Bharat) knowledge (Somam) and exhilarating (Maddham) resource- that motivates one in single minded pursuit like a blind person- (Andhah) from well cultivated -filled vessels- resources stores (Amatrabhi).

That (Asya=Indra=Entrepreneurship) is empowered (Veerah) and always (Sadam) having a temperament of being desirous (Kami) of consumption (Peetim)

(of Soma=knowledge & Maddham anna= exhilarating resource). by performing action -Yajna (Juhota) to this provider of benefits (Vrashne) by the active persons. These -benefits- (Eshah) he (Entrepreneur=Indra) desired (Vashti).

समाज में ‘सोम’ के विस्तार प्रसार के लिए उच्चतम शिक्षा प्राप्त कराने हेतु गुरुकुल,उत्तम शिक्षक गण और अनुसंधान की सुविधान की सुविधाएं उपलब्ध कराओ.

अध्वर्यवो भरतेन्द्राय सोममामत्रेभि: सिञ्चतामद्यमन्ध: ।

कामी हि वीर: सदमस्य पीतिं जुहोत वृष्णे तदिदेष वष्टि ।। 2.14.1.

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे (अध्वर्यव: ) अपने को यज्ञ कर्म की चाहना करने वाले मनुष्यो ! तुम जो (एष: ) यह (कामी) कामना करने के स्वभाव वाला (वीर:) वीर ( वृष्णे) बल बढ़ाने के लिए (अस्य) इस सोम रस के (पीतिम्‌) पान को (वष्टि) चाहता है, (तत्‌ इत्‌) उसे (सदम्‌) पाने योग्य सोम (हि) को निश्चय से तुम (जुहोत) ग्रहण करो (इन्द्राय) और परमैश्वर्य के लिए (अमत्रेभि:) उत्तम पात्रों से (मद्यम्‌) हर्ष देने वाले (अन्ध: ) अन्न को तथा (सोमम्‌) सोम रस को (सिञ्चत) सींचो और बल को (आ, भरत) पुष्ट करो ॥1॥

परमैश्वर्य, अन्न, सुख, साधनोंं, बल, पौरुष की कामना करने के स्वभाव की वृद्धि के लिए उत्तम शिक्षा देने और उत्तम शिक्षक गण तैयार करने की औरअनुसंधान की व्यवस्था करो ।

Adhvaryus should provide good appropriate Soma – knowledge and technology in good measure for the Indras for self motivation of individuals to ensure achievement of abundance and prosperity, by good nutrition, health and peace for the land and those living off it. Adhvaryus – Govt./Establishment should create knowledge institutions to develop Motivated , creative minds and mental attitudes by creating and developing knowledge enabling institutions, schools, colleges for education , training of students and teachers.

द्वितीय प्राथमिकता

उत्तम जल संरक्षण नीति

2. अध्वर्यवो यो अपो वव्रिवांसंवृत्रं जघानाशन्येव वृक्षम् ।

तस्मा एतं भरत तद्वशायँएष इन्द्रो अर्हति पीतिमस्य ।। 2.14.2

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) अपने को अहिंसा की इच्छा करने वालो ! (य: ) जो सूर्य (वब्रिवांसं ) आवरणकरने वाले (वृत्रम्‌) मेघ को (अशन्येव) बिजुली के समान(वृक्षम्‌) वृक्षको (जघान) मारता है अर्थात दहशक्ति से भस्मकरदेता है और (आप: ) जलों को वर्षाता तथा जो (एष: ) यह (इन्द्र: )

ऐश्वर्यवान्‌जन (अस्य) सोमलतादि रस के (पीतिम्‌) पीने को (अर्हति) योग्य होता है इस कारण (तद्वशाय) उन उन पदार्थों को कामना करनेवाले के लिए (यतम्‌) उक्त पदार्थ द्वय को धारण करो अर्थात्‌ उन के गुणों को अपने मन में निश्चित करो ॥2॥

वर्षा के जल सब से उत्तम जल होता है. इस के संग्रह और सदुपयोग की व्यवस्था द्वारा जैविक कृषि की उत्तम व्यवस्था करो.

Harness those waters of rains, which are released by the actions of lightening, that strikes the trees and sets them on fire. Thus work for the creation of bounties of fertilized soil by rich biomass feeds and prosperity of vegetation, as the gifts provided by Indra.

(All the futuristic strategies are for conservation of our water resources. Rain water harvesting is the most significant item on not only Global level, but is of utmost importance for India, particularly, when it is realized that the total water requirements of entire India are just about 5% of the total rain fall in our coastal regions. And almost 100% of that rainfall just flows in to the sea.)

तृतीय प्राथमिकता

पर्यावरण संरक्षण वन सम्पदा का महत्व

अध्वर्यवो यो दृभीकं जघान यो गा उदाजदप हि वलं व: ।

तस्मा एतमन्तरिक्षे न वातमिन्द्रं सोमैरोर्णतजूर्णवस्त्रै: ।। 2.14.3

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) यज्ञ संपादन करने वाले जनों ! (य: ) जो (दृभीकम्‌) भयङ्कर प्राणी को (जघान्‌) मारता है किस को कि (य: ) जो (गा: ) गौओं को (उदाजत्‌) विविध प्रकार से फैंके अर्थात उठाय उठाय पटके और मारे और (बलम्‌) बल को (अप, व: ) अपवरण करें रोकें ( तस्मै) उस के लिए (हि) ही (एतम्‌) इस यज्ञ को (अन्तरिक्षे) अन्तरिक्ष में (वातम्‌) पवन के ( न) समान वा(इन्द्रम्‌) मेघों के धारण करने वाले सूर्य को (वस्त्रै: ) वस्त्रों से (जू: ) बुड्ढे के(न) समान(सोमै: ) ओषधियों वा ऐश्वर्यों से (आ, उर्णुत्‌) | आच्छादित करो अर्थात्‌ अपने यज्ञ धूम से सूर्य को ढापो.

हमारी पृथ्वी पर एक पुराने वस्त्र का आवरण है,( यह आवरण घने बादलों जैसा होता है. इस मे छिद्र नहीं होने चाहियें , यह नीचे दिए चित्र से स्पष्ट हो जाएगा ) इस आवरण के द्वारा हि पृथ्वी पर ओषधि वनस्पति अन्न इत्यादि सम्भव हो पाए हैं । परंतु इस आवरण के छिद्रो के कारण अंतरिक्ष मे पवन और मेघों द्वारा ऐसे विनाशकारी बलशाली उत्पात होते है जो गौओं और सब नगरीय व्यवस्थाओं को बार बार उठा उठा कर पटक देते हैं इस आवरण के छिद्रों को यज्ञादि कार्यों से ढको. ( वेदो का स्पष्ट संकेत सुनामी जैसी प्राकृतिक आपदाओं की ओर है, जो पर्यावरण के संरक्षण पर ध्यान न देने के कारण विश्वस्तर पर जलवायु का तपमान बढने से उत्पन्न हो रहा है ।)

This phenomenon mentioned in Vedas was discovered by modern science only in 1985, as described below.

Joe Farman, ozone hole discoverer, dies at 82

Farman not only revealed the atmospheric leak above Antarctica in 1985, but also helped coax humanity into rallying against a global environmental threat.

Mon, May 20 2013 at 2:42 PM

A 3-D image of the ozone hole over Antarctica, produced with a mapping spectrometer.

Joe Farman, a British scientist who discovered manmade damage to Earth’s ozone layer in the 1980s, has died at age 82. On top of exposing the leak, Farman also helped set the stage for the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an ozone-saving treaty that showed humanity can right environmental wrongs without economic collapse, even on a global scale.

Farman studied natural sciences at England’s Corpus Christi College, then served in the British Army and worked for an aircraft company before he found his calling. He answered an ad in 1956 seeking scientists to work in Antarctica, and soon joined what’s now known asthe British Antarctic Survey. Then, after 30 years of dogged and often unappreciated research, he published one of the most important scientific papers of the 20th century.

The sky is failing

Scientists had already begun to grasp the complex nature of ozone — a pollutant at ground level but a life-saving shield in the atmosphere — and even knew it may be vulnerable to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals used in aerosol sprays and refrigeration systems. But with no solid evidence that CFCs were actually hurting the ozone layer, there seemed little urgency to rein in their widespread use around the world.

The ozone layer begins roughly 10 kilometers (6 miles) above the Earth’s surface.

Farman left Antarctica in 1959 to take a management role in England, but he continued to oversee the survey’s ozone research through the 1960s and ’70s. This work came under fire in the early ’80s amid budget cuts, though, and the New York Times reports Farman’s superiors mocked his insistence that decades of ozone data would be useful. But Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher eventually came to the British Antarctic Survey’s rescue, the Guardian points out, as the former chemist saw its scientific potential as well as its strategic importance in Britain’s struggle with Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

Then, in 1982, Farman’s career-defining breakthrough began. Using an outdated spectrometer to measure ozone levels, he initially thought his instrument must be broken. He was seeing a dramatic drop in Antarctic ozone, and since not even NASA satellites had detected this, he ordered new equipment. But the new one also “went haywire,” as he described it, and he began to realize he was on to something. Along with co-authors Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin, he published a groundbreaking study in 1985 that shocked the world and launched a new era of international eco-politics.

The 1985 study showed a 40 percent drop in ozone above Antarctica, creating a soft spot in the ozone layer — not literally a hole — that let in ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. This not only embarrassed NASA and other scientists who had missed the leak, but also sparked a frenzy to minimize its effects on public health. According to calculations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the excess UV exposure could trigger 40 million cases of skin cancer and 800,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. alone.

Spectrometer images show the ozone hole grow during the 1980s and ’90s. Dark blue indicates the thinnest ozone, while light blue, green and yellow represent progressively thicker layers. (Images: NASA)

Ozone defense

Many environmental crises of the ’60s and ’70s were mostly local — like toxic waste dumping and wildlife declines — but the ozone hole represented a serious danger to life across the planet. And despite chemical industry protests that phasing out CFCs would cripple economic growth, the unprecedented rehab effort proved them wrong.

Leaders from around the world met in Montreal in September 1987, eventually producing a treaty to curtail CFCs called the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Eventually ratified by all 197 members of the United Nations, the Montreal Protocol has undergone several revisions in the past 25 years but is still widely considered a model for environmental treaties of all kinds. Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has called it “perhaps the single most successful international agreement to date.”

The Montreal Protocol has also had pitfalls, though: CFCs were sometimes replaced with hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), which later turned out to be heat-trapping greenhouse gases even more potent than carbon dioxide. But safer alternatives also emerged, and despite some missteps, the treaty is expected to help Earth’s ozone layer fully recover by 2080. That’s far from a quick fix, but according to the Guardian, “without the work of Farman the effects could have been catastrophic.”

The treaty also remains a beacon to world leaders and diplomats trying to strike a meaningful global pact on climate change. Carbon-emitting fossil fuels are much more deeply embedded in the economy than CFCs were, but the Montreal Protocol at least serves as a precedent demonstrating how humanity can tackle a broad environmental threat by banding together and following scientists’ advice.

An animation of projected ozone over North America if the Montreal Protocol had failed.

Although several scientists won a Nobel Prize for their work on CFCs, Farman never received that honor. He was granted many other scientific awards, though, including the U.K. Polar Medal, the Society of Chemical Industry’s environmental medal, the Appleton (formerly Chree) medal and prize, and membership in the United Nations Global 500 honor roll. He conducted research in Antarctica until his retirement in 1990, and remained active well into his later years, the Guardian reports, growing his own vegetables at home and biking to work until he suffered a stroke in February.

Farman died May 11 in Cambridge, England, according to a statement released by the British Antarctic Survey. He is survived by Paula, his wife of 42 years.

“Joe was an excellent physicist and his work changed the way that we view the natural world,” says Alan Rodger, interim director of the British Antarctic Survey, in a press release. “After making the discovery of the ozone hole he became an energetic ambassador for our planet. Our thoughts are with his wife, Paula.”

ओज़ोन आवरण के छिद्र को समझने के लिए चित्र

Ozone cover representation with hole in it

Exercise control over natural calamities like the violent storms, which with immense forces, play havocs like demons tossing all cattle and life in to air and smashing on to the ground, which cause great upheavals by disrupting life and property. These are brought about by the holes in the protective garment, which covers the earth in the space. These holes are like holes in a worn out old garment. Heal and repair the holes in the covering, by actions of rain making clouds and atmosphere helped by green vegetation and herbs by grace of Indra.

^{Quoted thankfully from “the secret life of GERMS” by Philip M. Tierno)}

(According to modern science during the period of formation of Earth’s History, intense volcanic activity was producing oxygen by releasing it from Earth’s interior. In the primordial soup, ancient blue green algae lived by photosynthesis, and also produced Oxygen. Over the course of perhaps three billion years, the Oxygen produced by algae and the Oxygen spewed by the volcanoes changed the Earth’s atmosphere , creating an Oxygen blanket that allowed higher life forms to evolve from germs. Oxygen in upper atmosphere came in contact with UV (Ultra Violet) Rays and electrical discharges. This converted Oxygen in upper atmosphere in to ozone that can more strongly absorb UV rays. In this way Earth’s Ozone layer was formed. If land dwelling organisms had to face the full force of Sun’s UV rays, all life on Earth would have eventually destroyed. This Ozone layer in the upper atmosphere prevents this by acting as a protective shield.)¹

Earth’s Atmosphere

The total global environment consists of four major realms: a gaseous atmosphere, liquid hydrosphere, solid lithosphere, and living biosphere.

From space, Earth’s atmosphere looks like a blue sphere with gaseous envelopes .. This fragile, nearly transparent envelope of gases supplies the air that we breathe each day. It also regulates the global temperature and filters out dangerous levels of solar radiation. In recent years, scientific research has shown that the chemical composition of the atmosphere is changing because of both natural and human induced causes. There is growing concern over the impact of human activities. Mankind may be increasing levels of heat absorbing gases, thereby contributing to global warming and destroying ozone, the fragile atmospheric ingredient that shields the planet from ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Ozone and the Atmosphere

Earth is an extraordinary planet. Complex interactions between the land, oceans, and atmosphere created conditions that are favorable for life. One species, man, has managed to alter the environment on a global scale. In order to fully comprehend the impact of our actions, we must view the planet as a whole and understand the relationship between its basic components; land, water, and air.

This web site discusses the chemical composition and evolution of Earth’s atmosphere, focusing on the protective layer of ozone in the stratosphere. The destructive properties of troposphere ozone are also presented. Diagrams and animation sequences are used to visually depict the delicate structure of the ozone molecule and the chemical reactions involved in its formation and destruction. Ozone destroying pollutants were first identified in 1973.Since that time there has been a considerable amount of controversy surrounding the subject of ozone depletion. More than 20 years of ozone-related scientific studies, international meetings, and global industrial agreements are summarized in the last section of this site.

Historical Atmosphere

Earth is believed to have formed about 5 billion years ago. In the first 500 million years a dense atmosphere emerged from the vapor and gases that were expelled during degassing of the planet’s interior. These gases may have consisted of hydrogen (H₂), water vapor, methane (CH₄), and carbon oxides. Prior to 3.5 billion years ago the atmosphere probably consisted of carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), water (H₂O), nitrogen (N₂), and hydrogen.

The hydrosphere was formed 4 billion years ago from the condensation of water vapour, resulting in oceans of water in which sedimentation occurred.

The most important feature of the ancient environment was the absence of free oxygen. Evidence of such an anaerobic reducing atmosphere is hidden in early rock formations that contain many elements, such as iron and uranium, in their reduced states. Elements in this state are not found in the rocks of mid-Precambrian and younger ages, less than 3 billion years old

Formation of the Ozone Layer

One billion years ago, early aquatic organisms called blue-green algae began using energy from the Sun to split molecules of H₂O and CO₂ and recombine them into organic compounds and molecular oxygen (O₂).This solar energy conversion process is known as photosynthesis. Some of the photo synthetically created oxygen combined with organic carbon to recreate CO₂ molecules. The remaining oxygen accumulated in the atmosphere, touching off a massive ecological disaster with respect to early existing anaerobic organisms.As oxygen in the atmosphere increased, CO₂ decreased.

High in the atmosphere, some oxygen (O₂) molecules absorbed energy from the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays and split to form single oxygen atoms. These with remaining oxygen (O₂) to form ozone (O₃) molecules, are very effective at absorbing UV rays. The thin layer of ozone that surrounds Earth acts as a shield, protecting the planet from irradiation by UV light.

The amount of ozone required to shield Earth from biologically lethal UV radiation, wavelengths from 200 to 300 nanometers (nm), is believed to have been in existence 600 million years ago. At this time, the oxygen level was approximately 10% of its present atmospheric concentration. Prior to this period, life was restricted to the ocean. The presence of ozone enabled organisms to develop and live on the land. Ozone played a significant role in the evolution of life on Earth, and allows life as we presently know it to exist.

Present Day Atmosphere

The atmosphere we breathe is a relatively stable mixture of several hundred types of gases from different origins. This gaseous envelope surrounds the planet and revolves with it. It has a mass of about 5.15 x 10E¹⁵ tons held to the planet by gravitational attraction. The proportions of gases, excluding water vapor, are nearly uniform up to approximately 80 kilometers (km) above Earth’s surface. The major components of this region, by volume, are oxygen (21%), nitrogen (78%), and argon (0.93%).Small amounts of other gases are also present. These remaining trace gases exist in such small quantities that they are measured in terms of a mixing ratio. This ratio is defined as the number of molecules of the trace gas divided by the total number of molecules present in the volume sampled. For example, O₃, CO₂, and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are measured in parts per million by volume (ppmv), parts per billion by volume (ppbv) or parts per trillion by volume (pptv).

Atmospheric temperature and chemistry are believed to be controlled by the trace gases.There is increasing evidence that the percentages of environmentally significant trace gases are changing because of both natural and human factors. Examples of man-made gases are the chlorofluorocarbons CFC-11 and CFC-12 and halons. Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane (CH₄) are produced by the burning of fossil fuels, expelled from living and dead biomass, and released by the metabolic processes of microorganisms in the soil, wetlands, and oceans of our planet.

4. ओज़ोन आवरण के संरक्षण में वन सम्पदा और जीवन शैलि का मह्त्व

Veda is clearly referring to the green house gases causing the damage to Ozone

अध्वर्यवो य उरणं जघान नव चख्वांसंनवतिं च बाहून् ।

यो अर्बुदमव नीचा बबाधे तमिन्द्र सोमस्य भृथेहिनोत ।। 2.14.4

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) सब के प्रिय चरणों को करने वाले विद्वानों ! तुम (य: ) जो जन (उरुणम्‌) आच्छादन करने वाले (चख्वांसम्‌) मारने वाले के प्रति मारने वाले को ( जघान्‌) मारे और ( नव, नवितम्‌) न्यन्यानवे (बाहून्‌) बाहुओं के समान सहाय करने वालों को (च) भी मारे (य: ) जो (अर्बुदम्‌ ) दश क्रोड़ (नीचा) नीचों को (अव, बबाधे) बिलोता है (तम्‌) उस (इन्द्रम्‌) बिजुलीके समान सेनापति को (सोमस्य) ऐश्वर्य के (भृथे) धारण करने माइं (हिनोत्‌) प्रेरणा देओ॥4॥

इस आच्छादन को क्षति पहुंचाने वाले सीमित श्रेणियों के तत्वों पर नियंत्रण करो ,तथा इस आवरण की सुरक्षा करने वाले असंख्य वनस्पतियों और व्यवस्थित जीवनशैलि की आवश्यकता को युद्ध स्तर पर एक कुशल सेनापति की तरह कार्यान्वित करो ( वनसम्पदा का संरक्षण और वृक्षारोपण का महत्व और सात्विक जीवन शैलि को अपना कर ही ऐसा होगा. ) पर्यावरण में व्यवस्था ठीक होने से वर्षा यथा समय होगी, आंधी तूफान तंग नहीं करेंगे.

Agents causing damage to Ozone layer (limited in No) .

ओज़ोन आवरण नष्ट करने वाले भिन्न भिन्न श्रेणी के कार्य.

Ozone layer protecting actions are in very large numbers, starting with saving forest cover, tree plantation and change in human life style to more simple living habits as shown in diagram here.

ओज़ोन आवरण की रक्षा करने वाले असंख्य स्वप्रेरित वनस्पति वृक्षारोपण से ले कर सादा जीवनशैलि कितने असंख्य हैं । जैसा इस मानचित्र से दिखाया गया है.

This protective garment is like the fleece of a sheep. There are trillions of hands on the ground, which supports the actions to prevent damage to this garment (in the space) and to keep it in good repair like new. These trillions of hands-ting with promotion of green cover on ground- to a change in human life style to simpler plain living habits , brings orderliness in environments with greenery and controlled atmospheric disturbances to disarm the attackers of the fleece like protective cover. Like a good leader of armies, motivate these ‘GREEN’ actions on the lands to bring prosperity to all.

(The scientific evidence clearly indicates that reduced green cover causes increased levels of carbon dioxide in our air are enhancing the global greenhouse effect and throwing the Earth’s energy equation out of balance. That means more energy for storms in all seasons, for more extreme weather, for more droughts and floods, for changing climate patterns. We’re heading into uncharted territory and we need to reverse course and bring CO2 back to 350 ppm or our children and grandchildren will scorn our selfish stupidity. It is long past time for us to take action.)

On this subject reference to such remedial actions is also given in Yajurveda3.45 as ;

पर्यावरण सुरक्षा पर यजुर्वेद 3.45 में भी निम्न उपदेश प्राप्त होता है.

Yaju Veda 3-45 Environmental Repair

यद्ग्रामे यदर्ण्ये यत्सभायां यदिनन्द्रिये । यदेनश्चकृमा वयमिदं तदवयजामहे स्वाहा।। यजु 3।45।।

Whatever wrong actions we have done in habitations, forests, and in communities, we want to rectify that wrong.

5. जमाखोरों काले धन के व्यापारियों ,भ्रष्ट तत्वों को नष्ट कर के दरिद्रता दुर्भिक्ष से मुक्त समाज स्थापित करो

Take strong action against the corrupt, hoarders & black marketers to eradicate poverty and prevent famines and starvation deaths.

अध्वर्यवो य: स्वश्नं जघान य: शुष्णमशुषं यो व्यंसम्।

य: पिप्रुं नमुचिं यो रुधिक्रां तस्मा इन्द्रायान्धसो जुहोत ।। 2.14.5

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) अपने को यज्ञ कर्म की चाहना करने वाले वा ) सब के प्रिय चरणों को करने वालो ! तुम (य: ) जो जन सूर्य जैसे(स्वश्णम्‌) सुन्दर मेघ को वैसे शत्रु को (जघान्‌) मारता है वा (य: ) जो (शुष्णम्‌) सूखे पदार्थ को (अशुषम्‌) गीला वा (य: ) जो (व्यंसम्‌) शत्रु को निर्भुज करता वा (य: ) जो (नमुचिम्‌) अधर्मात्मा (पिप्रुम्‌) प्रजापालक अर्थात्‌ राजाको वा (य: ) जो ( रुधिक्राम्‌) राज्य व्यवहारो को रोकने वलों को निरन्तर गिराता है (तस्मै) उस ( इन्द्राय) सूर्य के समान सेनापति के लिये (अन्धस: )अन्न (जुहोत्‌) देओ ॥5॥

पिप्रुम वे स्वार्थी जन जो केवल अपना ही पेट भरते हैं , और नमुचि – कर न देने वाला,दुर्भिक्ष कालिक मेघ के समान प्रजा के निमित्त कुछ भी सुख न देने वाला क्षमाके अयोग्य होते हैं । उन्हें किसी भी अवस्थामें (रुधिक्रा) राज्य शासन दण्ड व्यवस्था द्वारा क्षमा नहीं करना चाहिए.

Oh men desirous of positive roles, deal like the sun, which hunts down even the beautiful clouds to shed the rains, which wet the earth to disarm the enemies such as draught, by bringing wetness. With pipram पिप्रुम the selfish ones’ who only fill their own belly, the namuchiनमुची being those who do not help in times of social distress such as famines should never be pardoned, by rudhikra रुधिक्रा the stern law enforcement agency should deal sternly to ensure equitable justice food and nutrition for all.

6. आपदाओं के उपरान्त युद्धस्तरीय पुनर्वास योजना

Rehabilitation of society on war footing

अध्वर्यवो य: शतं शम्बरस्य पुरो बिभेदाश्मनेव पूर्वी:।

यो वर्चिन: शतमिन्द्रो सहस्रमवावपद् भरता सोममस्मै ।। 2.14.6

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे ( अध्वर्यव: ) युद्धरूप यज्ञ को सिद्ध करने वालो! तुम लोगों में से (य: ) जो (शम्बर्स्य) जिस से स्वीकार किया जाता उस मेघ के (शतम्‌) सौ (पुर: ) पुरों को जैसे घोड़ों को (अश्मनैव: ) पत्थर से वैसे (विभेद) छिन्न भिन्न करता है (य: ) जो (इन्द्र: ) ऐश्वर्यवान्‌ ( वर्चिन्: ) प्रदीप्त अपने सर्व बल से दैदीप्यमान राजा के (शतम्‌) सौ और (सहस्रम्‌) हज़ार (पूर्वी: ) पहले हुइ प्रजाओं को (अपावपत्‌) नीचा करता है (अस्मै) इस सेनेश के लिए (सोमम्‌) ऐश्वर्यको (भरत) धारण करो ॥6॥

(सुदूर भूतकाल के समय से) जो आवरण उपयुक्त समय पर वर्षा इत्यादि की व्यवस्था प्रदान करता है उस आवरण की क्षति से उत्पन्न प्राकृतिक आपदाओं द्वारा आए संकट एवं विनाश को तत्काल युद्धस्तर पर निदान करने की व्यवस्था स्थापित करें ।

Like the mobilization on war footing, when the clouds were destroyed to smithereens of rain drops by the forces of Indra to bring bounties of plenty to the people, get activated to restore the earlier prosperity, of abundance for all.

7. सातवीं प्राथमिकता. 7^th Priority

खाद्य सुरक्षा और गुणवत्ता

Food Safety & Security

7. Food Safety and Security (This is a very clear directive on what the modern agriculture science is involved with, Organic agriculture, better Seeds & IPM- Integrated pest management)

अध्वर्यवो य: शतमा सहस्रं भूभ्या उपस्थेऽवपज्जघन्वान् ।

कुत्सस्यायोरतिथिग्वस्य वीरान् न्यावृणग् भरता सोममस्मै ।। 2.14.7

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ- हे (अध्वर्यव: ) युद्ध-यज्ञरूप सिद्धि के करने वाले जनो ! तुम (य: ) जो सूर्य के समान (भूम्या: ) भूमि के (उपस्थे ) ऊपर ( शतम्‌) सेकड़ों वा ( सहस्रम्‌) सहस्रों वीरों को (आ, अपवत्‌) बोता अर्थात गिरा देता दुष्टों को (जघन्वान्‌ ) मारता वा (अतिथिग्वस्य) अतिथियों को प्राप्त होने वाले (आयो:) और प्राप्त हुए (कुत्सस्य) बाण आदि फैंकने वाले प्रजापति के (वीरान्‌) शत्रु बलों को व्याप्त होते वीरों को (नि,आवृणक्‌) निरंतर वर्जता है (अस्मै) इस के लिए (सोमम्‌) ऐश्वर्य को (भरत) पुष्टकरो ॥7॥

कृषक एक योद्धा के समान उर्वरक भूमि में जो अन्नोत्पादन के लिए प्रयत्न करता है, उसे सहस्रों खड़ पतवार, कीटाणु इत्यादि शत्रु नष्ट करने के प्रयास करते हैं. इन से निपटने के लिए उत्तम वीर स्थापित करो.

( इस विषय को जैविक खेती में अत्यंतमहत्वपूर्ण स्थान दिया जाता है.गौ माता के गोबर मूत्र इत्यादि से भूमि मे कृषि उत्पादन और जैविक खड़ पतवार कीट नियंत्रण विषय एकीकृत ( समन्वित) कीट प्रबंधन के नाम से आधुनिक कृषि विज्ञान का एक महत्वपूर्ण अनुसंधान का काम है )

Along with the innumerable crops being cultivated by the farmers for feeding the nation, the guests and dependents, innumerable enemies in the form of weeds, pests, etc also get in to the land. The Adhwaryus should work on war footing to provide sustainable herbal/organic remedies to help the growth of healthy agriculture crops to ensure health and prosperity to the people.

(Modern agriculture science calls it IPM –Integrated Pest Management.)

अपव्यय निषेध एवं प्रतीकार

Stop wasteful expenditure of public money

अध्वर्यवो यन्नर: कामयाध्वे श्रुष्टी वहन्तो नशथातदिन्द्रे ।

गभस्तिपूतंभरत श्रुतायेन्द्राय सोमं यज्यवोजुहोत ।।2.14.8

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) सब का हित चाहने वाले (नर: ) नायक मनुष्यो ! तुम (यत्‌) जिस राज्य या धन को (श्रुष्टी) शीघ्र (वहन्त: ) प्राप्त करते हुए (कामयाध्वे) उस की कामना करो ( नशथ) वा छिपाओ (तत्‌) उस (गभस्तिपूतम्‌) किरणों वा बाहुओं से पवित्र करे हुए को (इन्द्रे) सभापति के निमित्त (भरत) धारण करो । हे ( यज्यव: ) सङ्ग करनेवाले जनों ! तुम (श्रुताय)जिस का प्रशंसित श्रुति विषय है उस (इन्द्राय)सभापति के लिये(सोमम्‌) ओषधियों के रस को वा ऐश्वर्य को (जुहोत्‌) ग्रहण करो ॥8॥

सामाजिक संसाधनों एवं धन का अनावश्यक, अनुपयोगी, अनुत्तरदायी, अनुत्पादक उपयोग रोकने एवं उन्हें समाजोपयोगी पशंसा योग्य उपयोग के लिये बचाने की व्यवस्था करें ।

Stop wasteful expenditure of public money and save it for use in praise worthy social welfare projects.

राज्य के हित में किन विषयों को गोपनीय रखना है, इस पर अधिकारी वर्ग संयम स्वनियंत्रण और मर्यादा का पालन करना चाहिए

Official Secrets Action /Importance

राज्याधिकारी वर्ग को राज्य हित में गोपनीयता का पालन करना चाहिए

For the leaders and persons holding senior policy making responsibilities, when some strategies for public good are being contemplated, the deliberations should be held confidential, till they are totally worked out. It is only for the well thought out plans to be made available for general public to debate and consider sustainability.

9. प्रदूषण नियंत्रण

Pollution Control

(Waste water treatment strategy suggested by Yajurved 17.6 by root zone treatment, and energy crops similar to what NASA scientists have proposed )

अध्वर्यव: कत्तर्ना श्रुष्टिमस्मै वनेनिपूतंवनउन्नयध्वम् ।

जुषाणो हस्त्यमभि वावशे व इन्द्राय सोमं मदिरंजुहोत ।। 2.14.9

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) पुरुषार्थी जनों ! तुम (अस्मै) इस सभापति के लिये (वने) किरणों में (श्रुष्टिम्‌) शीघ्र (निपूतम्‌) निर न्तर पवित्र और दुर्गंध वा प्रमादपन से रहित पदार्थ (कर्त्तन) करो (वने) और किरणों में (उन्नयध्वम्‌) उत्कर्ष देओ जो (हस्त्यम्‌) हस्तों में उत्तम हुए पदार्थ को (जुषाण: ) प्रीति करता वा सेवन करता हुआ (मदिरम्‌) आनन्द देने वाली (सोमम्‌) सोमलतादिरस को ( अभि,वावशे) प्रत्यक्ष चाहता (तस्मै) उस सभापति के लिए और (व: ) तुम लोगोंको (इ न्द्राय) ऐश्वर्यवान जन के लिए उक्त पदार्थ को (जुहोत्‌) देओ.॥9॥

वैज्ञानिक विद्वतजन दुर्गंधित प्रदूषित जलों को सूर्य की किरणों द्वारा, लताओं इत्यादि के द्वारा दुर्गंध रहित और प्रदूषणमुक्त करें ।

It is for the technically knowledgeable community and the establishment to decide and implement, the handling of sewage, pollution and foul smell creating situations, by using solar photo remediation, natural vegetative filtration and the winning of the desirable components out of the system by the strategy of using wetlands and lagoons, for making the waste disposal a pleasant, acceptable and sustainable activity.

इस विषय पर यजुर्वेद 17.6 में निम्न विस्तृत उपदेश मिलता है. जो इस विषय को विस्तार पूर्वक बताता है.

On this subject very detailed directive is given in Yajurved and is placed below .

“उपज्मन्नुप वेतसेऽवतर नदीष्वा । अग्ने पित्तमपामसि मण्डूकि

ताभिरागहि सेमं नो यज्ञं पावकावर्णं शिवं कृधि।। Yajurved 17।6।।

अग्ने पित्तं आपसि—— pitta and agni i.e. fever in water is

polluted water

मण्डूकि ताभिरागहि—–marine life like frogs & fish family,

get at that

उपज्मन्नुप वेतसेऽवतर नदीष्वा —-growing plants of cane reed

family which are secondary crops ( crops not fit for direct human

consumption, but use as biomass and if fit cattle fodder etc.) in the

beds of streams of such water .

सा इमं अस्माभि यज्ञं पावकवर्णं शिव: भव —–may provide us

with means to purify the polluted water for our welfare.

Modern Science researches initiated by NASA in USA finally developed the most environments friendly process to treat pollutes waters called grey waters by process almost identical to what this Ved Mantra has prescribed.

The grey water is fist led in to wet lands with plenty of marine life to digest the organic pollutants. Next this water is led in to lagoons in which reed family of plants purify this water by photo remediation, subsequently this water is led through lagoons with ‘energy crops’. These are special plant species that harvest specific variety of heavy metal pollutants like ‘Lead’, ‘Cadmium’ , mercury and Magnesium etc.

This happens to be the most recent modern strategy to treat

sewage and polluted waters The Polluted water is run in to ponds

with frogs, fish like marine life, and then this marine life treated

water is run in to streams. On the beds of these streams plants of cane

& reed family are grown. The final run off water is clean water.

This technology has been known as ‘root zone treatment’ and

was first promoted by NASA scientists, and is described in his book

“Growing Clean Waters” by the NASA scientist Dr Wolverton.

Modern science is also growing special plants in polluted waters, for harvesting to extract specific minerals

गो दुग्ध खाद्यान्न की पौष्टिकता

Probiotics and Prebiotics.

अध्वर्यव: पयसोधर्यथा गो: सोमेभिरीं पृणता भोजमिन्द्रम् ।

वेदाहमस्य निभृतं म एतद् दित्सन्तंभूयोयजतश्चिकेत ।। 2.14.10

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: ) बड़ी बड़ी ओषधियों को सिद्ध करने वाले जनो ! तुम (यथा) जैसे (गो: ) गौ के (पयसा) दूध से (ऊध: ) ऐन बरा होता है वैसे (सोमेभि: ) खाई हुइ सोमादि ओषधियों के साथ (ईम्‌) जलको पी के (पृणत) तृप्त होवो जैसे (भोजम्‌) भोजन करनेवाले (इ न्द्रम्‌) ऐश्वर्यवानको (अहम्‌) मैं (व्द) जानूं (अस्य) इस की (निभृतम्‌) निश्चित पुष्टिको जानूं वैसे इस विषय को (भूय:: ) बार बार जो (चिकेत) जाने उस को तृप्त करो ॥10॥

वनस्पतियों ,ओषधियों और गो दुग्ध जल के पौष्टिक तत्वो को अनुसंधान द्वारा अधिक गुणों से परिपूर्ण करो. इन विषयों पर अनुसंधान अविरल गति से चलता रहे ।

It is a subject of continuous study to learn from the processes taking place in a cow and her udders, how while feeding on herbal greens and water, she provides the immensely medicinally, nutritionally beneficial milk for the humanity.

11. पारदर्शिता से धनोपार्जन और जीवन शैलि को महत्व दो

Clear role of society and media for the development of transparency and proper mental attitudes in society is stressed in this mantra.

अध्वर्यवो यो दिव्यस्य वस्वोय: पार्थिवस्यक्षम्यस्यराजा ।

तमूर्दरंन पृणता यवेनेन्द्रं सोमेभिस्तदपो वो अस्तु ।। 2.14.11

महर्षि दयानंद पदार्थ – हे! (अध्वर्यव: )राजसम्बन्धी विद्वानजनों ! (य: ) जो (दिव्यस्य ) प्रकाश में उत्पन्न हुए (वस्व: ) धन को वा (य: ) जो (पार्थिवस्य) पृथिवी मे विदित (क्षम्यस्य) सहनशीलता में उत्तम उस के बीच (व: ) तुम्हारे लिए ( राजा) राजा (अस्तु) हो. (तम्‌) उस (इन्द्रम्‌ ) ऐश्वर्यवान को (यवेन्) यव अन्न से जैसे(ऊर्दरम्‌) मटका को वा डिहरा को (न) वैसे) (सोमेभि: ) सोमादि ओषधियों से पृणत) पूरो परि पूर्ण करो (तत्‌) उस (अप: ) कर्म को प्राप्त हू ॥11॥

प्रकृति से कृषि से जैविक अन्न से,ओषदि युक्त वनस्पतियों पारदर्शिता और सहनशीलता की शिक्षा का उपदेश ग्रहण करो और सब से बिना स्वार्थ के बांटो ।

It is the responsibility of the establishment to allow the wealth created in the nation by transparently open like in broad day light, methods of learning, such as from nature’s resources like agriculture. Promote in the society the mental attitudes, for acceptance of only this mode of honest livelihood.

12. इस प्रकार एक सम्पन्न वैभव शाली राष्ट्र निर्माण करो

Immense bounties of nature always flow on us for welfare health and wealth of all, by the continuous pursuits of knowledge based transparent activities by our well-meaning gifted people.

अस्मभ्यं तद् वसो दानाय राध: समर्थयस्व बहु ते वसव्यम् ।

इन्द्र यच्चित्रं श्रवस्या अनु द्यून् बृहद्वदेम विदथे सुवीरा: ।। 2.14.12

हे (वसो) धन देने वाले (इन्द्र) परमैश्वर्ययुक्त ! (सुवीर:) सु न्दर वीरों वाले हम लोग जो (ते) तुम्हारा (बहु) बहुत ( चित्रम्‌) अद्‌भुत (वसव्यम्‌) पृथिवी आदि वसुओंसेसिद्ध हुए ( बृहत्‌ ) बहुत (राध: ) समृद्धि करने वाले धन को (श्रवस्या: ) अन्नों के लिए हित करने वाली पृथिवीके बीच (अनु द्यून्‌) प्रति दिन (विदथे ) विज्ञान रूपी संग्राम यज्ञ में (वदेम) कहें उस को हमारे लिए देने को आप (समर्थयस्य ) समर्थ करो ॥12॥

इस प्रकार एक अद्‌भुत सम्पन्न वैभव शाली राष्ट्र निर्माण करो ।

In this manner, create a prosperous welfare nation.

( It is for paucity of space that the detailed method and reasoning to arrive at the above Vedic interpretations have not been provided here.)

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

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