sanatana dharma part16 K Rajaram IRS 4524 5524
The Root of our Religion Hindu Dharma: The Vedas
The Vedas -- Rgveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda -- are the first
four of the pramanas (authoritative texts) of our British branded
Hindu-religion and also the most important, as world number 3 now. Of the
remaining ten, six are Angas of the Vedas and four are Upangas.(14 system
mainly).
Man possesses a number of angas or limbs. In the same way the Vedas
personified -- the Vedapurusa -- has six limbs. (It must be noted that the
Vedas are also spoken of as Vedamatha, Mother Veda.) The four Upangas,
though not integral to the Vedas, are supporting limbs of the Vedapurusa.
The Angas, as already stated, are six in number -- Siksa, Vyakarana,
Chandas, Nirukta, Jyotisa and Kalpa. The four Upangas are Mimamsa, Nyaya,
Purana and Dharmasastra.
The Vedas are fundamental importance; the Angas and Upangas derive their
importance from them. Ayurveda, Dhanurveda, Arthasasthra and Gandharvaveda
are called Upavedas, subsidiary Vedas. Their connection with the prime
scripture is thus obvious.
The Vedas must be learned along with the Angas and Upangas. Such a
thourough study of the scripture is called "Sa-Anga-Upanga-adhyayana"
(study of the Vedas with the Angas and Upangas). The term "sangopanga",
which has come into popular usage, is derived from this. If a speaker deals
with a subject thoroughly, whether it be politics or something else, we use
the word "sangopanga" in describing his performance. The term refers to the
ancient caturdasa-vidya (the six Angas plus the four upangas). We have
totally forgotten the old system of education but our culture is so steeped
in it that we still use the term (sangopanga) to refer to any full scale
treatment or exposition of a subject. The inference is clear. That for
centuries the Vedas, together with their Angas and Upangas formed such an
intimate part of life in Tamil land that a term associated with this
tradition, "sangopanga", is still used by the common people there. But the
irony of it is that today we do not know even the names of these old
sastras.
The Vedas form the core of our religion and are the direct authority for
our dharma and for all our religious practices. They are our Bible, our
Qur'"an, our Granth sahib. But, of course, the Vedas are far far older than
these scriptures of other faiths. All of them originate from truths found
in the Vedas. The very word "Veda" connotes what is authoritative. There is
a practice of reffering to the Bible, the Quran and other scriptures as the
"Christian Veda", "Mohammedan Veda", "Parsi Veda", "Sikh Veda" and so on.
Christians in India refer to the Bible as "Satya-Veda".
It is rather difficult to speak about the Vedas as a topic. One does not
know where to begin and how to conclude. It is a bewildering task. The
magnitude of our scripture is such -- and such is its glory.
Pramanam Vedasca", says the Apastamba Dharmasutra. The Vedas are indeed
the sources of all dharmas as well as the authority on which they are
founded. A book that has been cherished by the great men of th Tamil
country from the earliest times is Manu-dharma-nul (Manusmriti). Throughout
India, Manu's dharmasastra is held in the highest esteem. In Tamil Nadu
there was a king who earned the name of "Manu-niti-kanda-Cola" for the
exemplary manner in which he administered justice. Once a calf got crushed
under the wheel of the chariot ridden by his son. The king was so fair and
strict that, when the aggrieved cow, the mother of the calf, sought
justice, he ordered his son to be crished to death under the wheel of the
same chariot. For us "Manu-niti-sastra"(Manusmriti) is the authority on
dharma. But does it claim that it is the authority for all dharma? No. "
Vedo'khilo dharmamulam", says Manu, i. e. the Vedas constitute the root of
all dharma. They prescribe the dharma for all time, he says.
We must obey the dictates of the Vedas. When we are asked to accept a
statement without questioning it, it is customary to remark; "Is that the
word of the Vedas? " This confirms the fact that the common people believe
that the word of the Vedas, or their injunction, must be obeyed without
being questioned. The "Vedavak" (the word or pronouncement of the Vedas)
has been our inviolable law for thousands of years.
Eternal
It is not possible to tell the age of the Vedas. If we say that an object
is "anadi" it means that nothing existed before it. Any book, it is
reasonable to presume, must be the work of one or more people. The Old
Testament contains the sayings of several Prophets. The New Testament
contains the story of Jesus Christ as well as his sermons. The Qu'ran
incorporates the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed. The founders of such
religions are historical personalities and their teachings did not exist
before then. Are the Vedas similarly the work of one or more teachers? And
may we take it that these preceptors lived in different periods of history?
Ten thousand years ago or a hundred thousand or a million years ago? If the
Vedas were created during any of these periods they can not be claimed to
be "anadi". Even if they were created a million years ago, it obviously
means that there was a time when they did not exist.
Questions like the above are justified if the Vedas are regarded as the
work of mortals. And, if they are, it is wrong to claim that they are
"anadi". We think that the Vedas are the creation of the rsis, seers who
were mortals. So it is said, at any rate, in the text book of history we
are taught.
Also consider the fact that the Vedas consists of many "Suktas".
Jnanasambandhar's Tevaram consists of number of patigams. And just as each
patigam has ten stanzas, each sukta consists of a number of mantras.
"Su+ukta"="sukta". The prefix "su" denotes "good" as in "suguna" or
"sulocana". "Ukta" means "spoken" or "what is spoken". " Sukta" means "well
spoken", a"good word" or a "good utterence" (or well uttered).
When we chant the Vedas in the manner prescribed by the Sastras, we mention
the name of the seer connected with each sukta, its metre and the deity
invoked. Since there are many mantras associated with various seers we
think that they were composed by them. We also refer to the ancestry of the
seer concerned, his gotra, etc. For instance, "Agastyo Maithravarunih",
that is Agastya, son of Maithravaruna. Here is another : "Madhucchanda
Vaisvamitrah", the sage Madhucchanda descended from the Visvamitra gotra.
Like this there are mantras in the names of many sages. If the mantras
connected with the name of Agastya were composed by him it could not
have existed
during the time of Mitravaruna; similarly that in the name of
Madhucchandana could not have existed during the time of Visvamitra. If
this is true, how can you claim that the Vedas are "anadi"?
Since the Mantras are associated with the names of sages, we make the
wrong inference
that they may have been composed by them. But it is not so as a matter of
fact. "Apaurseya" means not the work of any man. Were the Vedas composed by
one or more human beings, even if they were rsis, they would be called
"pauruseya". But since they are called "Apauruseya" it follows that even
the seers could not have created them. If they were composed by the seers
they (the latter) would be called "Mantra-kartas" which means "those who
'created' the Mantras". But as a matter of fact, the rsis are called
"Mantra-drastas", those who "saw " them.
When we say that Columbus discovered America, we do not mean that he
created the continent : we mean that he merely made the continent known to
the world. In the same way the laws attributed to Newton, Einstein and so
on were not created by them. If an object thrown up falls to earth it is
not because Newton said so. Scientists like Newton perceived the laws of
Nature and revealed them to the world. Similarly, the seers discovered the
Mantras and made a gift of them to the world. These Mantras had existed
before the time of their fathers, grand fathers, great grand fathers,. . .
. . . . . . But they had remained unknown to the world. The seers now made
them known to the mankind. So it became customary to mention their names at
the time of intoning them.
The publisher of a book is not necessarily its author. The man who
releases a film need not be its producer. The seers disclosed the mantras
to the world but they did not create them. Though the mantras had existed
before them they performed the noble service of revealing them to us. So it
is appropriate on our part to pay them obeisance by mentioning their names
while chanting the same.
Do we know anything about the existance of the mantras before they were
"seen" by the rsis? If they are eternal does it mean that they manifested
themselves at the time of creation? Were they present before man's
appearance on earth? How did they come into being?
If we take it that the Vedas appeared with creation, it would mean that the
Paramatman created them along with the world. Did he write them down and
leave them somewhere to be discovered by the seers later? If so, they
cannot be claimed to be anadi. We have an idea of when Brahma created the
present world.
There are fixed periods for the four yugas or eons, Krta, Treta,
Dvapara and Kali. The four yugas together are called a caturuga. A thousand
caturugas make one day time of Brahma and another equally long period is
his night. According to this reckoning Bramha is now more than fifty years
old. Any religious ceremony is to be commenced with a samkalpa("resolve")
in which an account is given of the time and place of performance in such
and such a year of Brahma, in such and such a month, in such and such a
fortnight (waxing or waning moon), etc. From this account we know when the
present Brahma came into being. Even if we concede that he made his
appearence millions and millions of years ago, he can not be claimed to be
anadi. How can then creation be said to have no begining in time? When
creation it self has an origin, how do we justify to the claim that the
Vedas are anadi?
The Paramatman, being eternal, was present even before creation when
there was no Brahma. The Paramatman, the Brahman are the Supreme Godhead,
is eternal. The cosmos, all sentient beings and insentient objects, emerge
from him. The Paramatman did not create them himself : he did so through
the agency of Brahma. Through Visnu he sustains them and through Rudra he
destroys them. Later Brahma, Visnu, Rudra are themselves destroyed by him.
The present Brahma, when he became hundred years old, will unite with the
Paramatman. Another Brahma will appear and he will start the work of
creation all over again. The question arises : Does the Paramatman create
the Vedas before he brings into being another Brahma?
We learn from the Sastras that the Vedas has existed even before
creation. Infact, they say, Brahma performed his function of creation with
the aid of Vedic mantras. I shall be speaking to you about this later, how
he accomplished the creation with the mantras manifested as sound. In the
passage dealing with creation the Bagavatha also says that Brahma created
the world with the Vedas.
Is this the reason (that Brahma created the world with the Vedic
mantras) why it is said that the Vedas are anadi? Is it right to take such
a view on the basis that both the Vedas and Isvara are anadi? If we suggest
that isvara had made this scriptures even before he created the world, it
would mean that there was a time when the Vedas did not exist and that
would contradict the claim that they are anadi.
If we believe that both Isvara and the Vedas are anadi it
would mean that Isvara could not have created them. But if you believe that
Isvara created them, they cannot be said to be without the origin.
Everything has its origin in Isvara. It would be wrong to maintainIf
[according to this logic]that both Isvara and the Vedas have no beginning
in time. Well, it is all so confusing.
What is the basis of the belief that the Vedas are anadi and were not
created by Isvara? An answer is contained in the Vedas themselves. In the
Brhadaranyaka Upanishad(2. 4. 10) ---the Upanishads are all part of the
Vedas---it is said that the Rg, Yajus and Sama Vedas are the very breath of
Isarva. The word "nihsvasitam"is used here.
It goes without saying that we cannot live even a moment without breathing.
The Vedas are the life-breath of the Paramatman who is an eternal living
Reality. It follows that the Vedas exist together with him as his breath.
We must note here that it is not customory to say that the Vedas are
the creation of Iswara. Do we create our own breath? Our breath exists from
the very moment we are born. It is the same case with Iswara and the Vedas.
We can not say that he created them.
When Vidyaranyaswamin {SAYANA} wrote his commentary on the Vedas he
prayed to his guru regarding him as Iswara. He used these words in his
prayer : "Yasya nihsvasitam Vedah" (whose --that is Isvara's -- breath
constitutes the Vedas). The word "nihsvasitam" occurs in the Upanishads
also. Here too it is not stated that Iswara created the Vedas.
The Lord says in the Gita : "It is I who am known by all the
Vedas "(Vedaisca sarvair aham eva vedyah). " Instead of describing himself
as "Vedakrd" (creator of the Vedas), he calls himself "Vedantakrd" (creator
of philosophical system that is the crown of the Vedas). He also refers to
himself as "Vedavid" (he who knows the Vedas). Before Vedanta that
enshrines great philosophical truths had been made know to mankind, the
Vedas had existed in the form of sound, as the very breath of Isvara - they
were ( and are) indeed Isvara dwelling in Isvara.
The Bhagavata too, like the Gita, does not state that the Lord
created the Vedas. It declares that they occured in a flash in his heart,
that they came to him in a blaze of light. The word used on this context is
"Sphuranam", occuring in the mind in a flash. Now we can not apply this
word to any thing that is created a new, any thing that did not exist
before. Bramha is the premordial sage who saw all the mantras. But it was
the Parmatman who revealed them to him. Did he transmit them orally? No,
says the Bhagavatha. The paramatman imparted the Vedas to Bramha through
his heart : " Tene Bramha hrdaya Adikavaye" says the very first verse of
that Purana. The Vedas were not created by the Parmatman. The truth is that
they are always present in his heart. When he mearly resolved to pass on
the Vedas to Bramha the latter instantly received them. And with their
sound he began the work of creation.
The Tamil Tevaram describes Isvara as "Vediya Vedagita". It says that
the Lord keeps singing the hymns of various sakas or recensions of the
Vedas. How are we to understand the statement that the "Lord sees the
Vedas"? Breathing itself is music. Our out-breath is called "hamsa-gita".
Thus, the Vedas are the music of the Lord's breath. The Thevaran goes on :
"Wearing the sacred thread and the holy ashes, and bathing all the time,
Isvara keeps singing the Vedas". The impression one has from this
description is that the Lord is a great "ghanapathin". Apparsvamigal refers
to the ashes resembling milk applied to the body of Isvara which is like
coral. He says that the Lord "chants" the Vedas, " sings " them, not that
he creates ( or created ) them. In the Vaisnava Divya Prabandham too there
are many references to Vedic sacrifices. But some how I donot remember any
reference in it to the Lord chanting the Vedas.
In the story of Gajendramoksa told by the Puhazhendi Pulavar ( a Tamil
Vaishnava saint - poet), the elephant whose leg is caught in the jaws of
the crocodile cries in anguish. "Adimulame" [vocative in Tamil of Adimula,
the Primordial Lord]. The Lord thereupon appears, asking "What? " The poet
says that Mahavisnu "stood before the Vedas" ("Vedattin mum ninran").
According to the poet the lord stood infront of the Vedas, not that he
appeared at a time earlier than the scriptures. The Tamil for "A man stood
at the door" is "Vittin mun ninran". So "Vedattin mun ninran" should be
understood as "he stood at the comencement of all the Vedas". Another idea
occurs to me. How is Perumal (Visnu or any other Vaisnava deity ) taken in
procession? Preceeding the utsava-murthy ( processional deity) are the
devotees reciting the Tiruvaymozhi. And behind the processional deity is
the group reciting the Vedas. Here too we may say that the Lord stood
before the Vedas ("Vedattin mun ninran").
In the visnava Agamas and puranas, Mahavisnu is refered to specially as
"Yajnaswaroopin" ( one personifying the sacrifice) and as "Vedaswaroopin" (
one who personifies the Vedas). Garuda is also called "Vedaswarupa". But
non of these texts is known to refer to Visnu as the creator of the Vedas.
It is only in the "Purusasukta", occuring in the Vedas themselves, that the
Vedas are said to have been "born" "(ajayatha)". However, this hymn is of
symbolical and allegorical signifcance and not to be understood in a
literal sense. It states that the Parama-purusa (the Supreme Being) for
sacrifice as an animal and that it was in this sacrifice that creation
itself was accomplished. It was at this time that the Vedas also made their
appearence. How are we to understand the statement that the Parama-purusa
was offered as a sacrificial animal? Not in a literal sense. In this
sacrifice the season of spring was offered as an oblation (ahuthi) instead
of ghee : summer served the purpose of samidhs (fire sticks); autum havis
(oblation). Only those who meditate on the mantras and become absorbed in
them will know there meaning inwardly as a matter of experience. So we can
not construe the statement literally that the Vedas were "born".
To the modern mind the claim that the breath of Isvara is manifested in the
form of sound seems nonsensical, also that it was with this sound that
Bramha performed his function of creation. But on careful reflection you
will realise that the belief is based on a great scientific truth.
I do not mean to say that we must accept the Vedas only if they conform to
present-day science. Nor do I think that our scripture, which proclaims the
truth of the Paramatman and is beyond the reach of science and scientist,
ought to be brought within the ken of science. Many matters pertaining to
the Vedas may not seems to be in conformity with science and for that
reason they are not to be treated as wrong. But our present subject -- how
the breath of the Parmatman can become sound and how the function of
creation can be carried out withit -- is in keeping with science.
Sound and Creation
What is sound? According to modern science, it is vibration. "If you
examine the core of an atom you will realise that all matter is one. " This
Advaitic conclusion is arrived at according to nuclear science and the
concepts of Einstein. All this world is one flood of energy (sakti);
everything is an electromagnetic flow. But how do we account for the
manifestation of different objects? It is to be attributed to different
type of vibrations.
Where there is vibration there is a sound. Conversely, to produce a sound
the vibration corresponding to it must also be created. The scientific
concept that the different vibrations of the same energy are the cause of
creation is the same as the belief that world was created with the breath
of the Paramatman manifesting itself as the sound of the Vedas.
Consider human beings and other creatures. What is it that determines their
health and feelings? The breath that passes through our nadis, blood
vessels, during respiration produces vibrations and on them depends the
state of our health. Those who keep their breathing under control through
the practice of yoga are healthy to an amazing degree. They do not bleed
even if their veins are cut. They are able to remain buried in the earth in
samadhi stopping their pulse and heartbeat. They are not poisoned even if
they are bitten by a snake or stung by a scorpion. The reason is that they
keep the vibrations of the nadis under control during breathing.
Breath is vital not only to the body but also to the mind. The mind which
is the source of thought and the vital(pranik) energy that is the source of
breath are the same. Healthy or unhealthy thoughts are to be attributed to
different vibrations of the nadis. You may test this for youself. See for
yourself how you breathe when you are at peace before the sanctum of a
deity or in the presence of a great and wise person and how you breathe
when your mind is quickened by desire or anger. The happiness you
experience when you take part in something divine, like a bhajan or atemple
festival, must be different from the pleasure that sensual gratification
gives you: the vibrations of the nadis concerned will also be
correspondingly different.
When you experience joy of an elevated kind the passage of breath will be
through the right nostril, but when you are enjoying sensual pleasure it
will be through the left. When you meditate, with increasing concentration,
on the Reality Serene which is the source of all your urges and feelings,
the breath will pass through both nostrils slowly, evenly and rhythmically.
When you are absorbed in the object of your meditation breathing itself
will cease, but there will still be life. The great awareness called jnana
will then be in bloom as it were.
The inert body of a man and the awareness that is the vital essence of his
life are both dependent on the course of his breathing. They grow or decay
according to it. The course of a man's breath keeps his inner vibrations in
order.
Is it not from the Paramatman that so many countless inert objects and so
many sentient beings have originated and grown? The movements appropriate
to these should have also occured in the Ultimate Object that is the
Paramatman.
Even according to non-dualism, the Brahman that is utterly still and
is unconditioned and has no attributes (nirguna) manifests itself in the
countless disguises of this cosmos with the power of Maya, Maya that cannot
be described. Disguises or no disguises, we have to concede the existence,
in a mundane sense, of the inert world and of the sentient beings. But we
must remember that even Maya has its source in Isvara who is "Mayin". But
the power of Maya apart, all that we see have arisen from the vibrations in
the Object called the Parabrahman. At the same time, with all these
vibrations, this Object remains still and tranquil inwardly. This stillness not
withstanding, there are movements that are apparent to our perception. They
are not disorderly movements but constitute a system embracing vast
heavenly bodies like the sun at one end and the tiniest of insects on the
other or even something as humble as a blade of glass.
It is this orderliness that goes to make worldly life happy. The
Paramatmam has created this by bringing all powers of nature within an
orderly system. But if you sometimes see flaws in it and the natural forces
going against us, it is because he likes to be playful now and then.
The human mind can go astray to any length. Indeed it keeps wandering
aimlessly like a globin or an imp. Whatever the extent to which cosmic life
is orderly, it (the human mind) breaks free from all control and runs about
like a mad dog.
When the powers of nature are unfavourable to us, is there a way to change
their behaviour and make them favourable to us? Is there also a means by
which our mind could be brought under control when it goes haywire? If
everything is caused by vibration, by sound, there must be a way of making
the forces of nature favourable to us and of purifying our mind and
bringing it under control through this very sound. The Vedas constitute
such sound.
By controlling our breath through the practice of yoga, it is possible to
gain access to the breath of the Paramatman and by this means perform such
actions as can uplift our own Self as well as mankind. Here the vibrations
of the nadis do not produce the sound that is audible to us. Science tells
us that there are sounds outside the range of human hearing in the same way
as there is light that does not pass through the lens of the human eye.
However, it is possible to bring within us (within our reach) that
which is without. When a musician sings on the radio, the sound of his
music is converted into electromagnetic waves which travel through space.
But how do we hear music? The receiving set captures the electromagnetic
waves and reconverts them into sound waves.
(Science is not opposed to religion. It seems to me that it even
helps in the growth of religion. A century ago, before the radio and the
telephone were invented, it would not have been easy to counter the
arguments of an atheist who dismisses claims made on behalf of the sound of
the Vedas as absurd. Now the discoveries of science have come to our
rescue. )
It is possible for humans to earn the power of energy possessed by
such an inert object as the radio set. Indeed we can earn much more, do
much more. It is tapas, ascetic endeavour, that will give us such energy.
What is tapas? It is the determination to find the truth: it is keeping the
mind one-pointed in this search, forsaking food, sleep, home, everything.
But when you are a seeker like this, you must remain humble and erase the
least trace of egoism in you. You must realise that the truth you seek will
be revealed to you only with the grace of Isvara. The sages performed
austerities in this manner and attained to the highest plane of yoga. They
could perceive the vibrations in creation, that is the course taken by the
breath of the Supreme Godhead. Besides, they also knew them as sound
capable of being heard by the human ear in the same manner as electric
waves converted into sound waves. It is these sounds that they have passed
on to us the mantras of the Vedas.
K RAJARAM IRS 4524//5524
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