Sairam
My
humble pranams at the Lotus feet of our Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba.
This
is a document on my understanding of Vedas. It is compiled information about
Vedas from various books and online sources. I have tried my best to keep it
Simple and short. If there are any mistakes, kindly excuse and please correct
and help me to learn.
Sairam
AN INTRODUCTION TO VEDAS
Creation of Vedas
- Vedas
represent the most sacred heritage of the mankind.
- The
Vedas are referred to as apurusheya. They
are not created by human beings.
- The
Vedas constitute the sublime knowledge revealed to our great ancestors while
they were doing their penance. It is not an acquired knowledge. It is the
sublime knowledge revealed to them during their meditation by Supreme Divinity.
- The
vedic rishis could ‘see’ even the transcendental truth as they were great
‘seers’.
- The
‘divine truths’ were revealed to them while they were in meditation on higher
spiritual planes.
Sruti and Smriti Literature in Vedas.
- The
Vedas are divine and eternal. They are timeless.
- The
Vedas are known for sruti literature.
- The
authentic Smriti literature has had its basis in the Sruti.
- Whenever
there is a difference between Sruti and Smriti, Sruti statement is accepted as
the final word.
Vedic Knowledge
- Vedas
present the sublime form of knowledge
- This
knowledge is impersonal, divine, absolute, veritable and inviolable, timeless.
- The
Vedas encompass the human life. They do not belong to a particular religion or
race or country.
- They
are holy scriptures of Hinduism, but they belong to the entire human race.
Vedas Content
- Vedas
contain Mantras.
- Each
Mantra has specific purpose.
o
Some addressed to deities
o
Some for ceremonial purposes
o
Some deal with rites and rituals.
o
Some with social life,
o
Some refer to mathematics and science,
including topics on chemistry, astronomy, botany, zoology, physiology, medical,
bio sciences, civil science, war fare science etc...
- Vedas
reflect all the aspects of existence. They throw light on the Srishti
(creation), the Brahman, the Aatman, The life and all related issues of
spiritualism. However, neither Vedas nor the Upanishads propagate a specific
ideology or a doctrine. They are not philosophical treatises. Yet, one finds
ample evidence of subtle philosophical thoughts from the verses.
Interpretation of Vedas
- A
great deal of Scholastic ability is required to interpret the Vedas.
- Single
word may have different meanings in different contexts.
- Many
Mantras are cryptic statements to a lay man. Some of them are too enigmatic to
be followed.
- Vedas
could only be interpreted with the help of an elaborate explanation by an
expert.
- Once
understood thoroughly, they open up new vistas of knowledge and radically
transform life.
Meaning of word ‘Veda’
- The
word ‘Veda’ is interpreted in more than one way by different scholars.
- Swami
Dayananda Saraswati has brought out four diverse meanings to the word.
- Veda
- knowledge
o
The word ‘Veda’ originates from the
Sanskrit word ‘Vid’ means ‘to know’.
o
The word ‘veda’ means knowledge. Veda
is concerned with “knowledge par excellence”.
o
The knowledge which transforms a Prakrit man to a Sanskrit man is Veda.
- Veda
– to be
o
The word ‘Veda’ means ‘to be’.
o
It is concerned with astitva - the existence.
o
That which creates awareness in a man
about his own existence is the Veda.
- Veda
– to think
o
Another interpretations of word ‘Veda’
is ‘to think’
o
The word ‘Veda’ is suggestive of
‘thought’.
o
Thinking awakens discretion in a man’s
mind. It makes a man wise and judicious. The knowledge which helps to
distinguish between Sat and Asat is the Veda.
DIFFERENT VEDAS
Vedas
The knowledgeable have called the Vedas
“Shabd Brahma”. The power of the Vedas is such that through words, Brahma
(Reality) can be understood.
Vedas are classified by Adi Shankara into
- Karma Kanda (Action / ritual
related sections)
- Jnana Kanda (Knowledge /
Spirituality related sections)
Four Vedas
There are four Vedas
·
Rig
Veda
·
Sama
Veda
·
Yajur
Veda
·
Atharva
Veda
Each Veda is further divided into four
sections
·
Samhitas
·
Brahmanas
·
Aranyakas
·
Upanishads
·
Upasanas
(Some add this as the fifth section)
There are six limbs of Vedas called Vedangas
·
Siksha
·
Vyakarana
·
Nirukti
·
Chhandas
·
Jyotisha
·
Kalpa
There are four Upavedas
·
Ayurveda
·
Dhanurveda
·
Ghandarva
Veda
·
Artha
Veda (Artha Shastra)
Rig Veda
- Oldest
extant (existing) Indic text
- It is comprised mainly of the
stutis and mantras in praise of various deities (Indra, Agni, Vayu, Varuna..
etc)
- Collection
of 1028 Vedic Sanskrit hymns and 10600 verses in all organized into ten books
(mandalas) dedicated to different Gods.
- Rig
veda is structured based on clear principles
- Veda
begins with a small book addressed to Agni, Indra and other Gods, all arranged
according to decreasing total number of hymns in each deity collection.
- Number
of hymns per book increases; finally, the meter too is systematically arranged
from jagati and tristubh to anustubh and gayatri as the text progresses.
- In
substance, the nature of hymns shift from praise of deities to Nasadiya sukta
with questions regarding origin of the universe, do Gods know the answer, the
virtue of Dhana (Charity) in society and other metaphysical issues in its
hymns.
- Rig Veda has 2 Sakhas
o
Shakala
o
Bhashkala
Sama Veda
- Sama Veda is essentially Rig Veda.
- The Sama Veda however provides
information on how mantras are to be chanted, giving fixed melodies for each
mantras.
- Consists
of 1549 stanzas, taken mostly from Rig Veda (except 75 mantras).
- It
has 2 major parts
o
Four melody collections (gaana)
o
Three verse ‘books’ (archika)
- Melody
song (gaana) in the song book corresponds to a verse in the Archika books.
- Like
Rig veda, early sections of Samaveda begin with hymns to Agni and Indra but
shift to abstract.
- Their
meters shift in a descending order.
- In
Sama Veda, some of the Rig verses are repeated more than once. Including repetitions,
there are a total of 1875 verses.
- Sama Veda Sakhas are
ü Ranayana
ü Shatyamukhya
ü Vyasa
ü Bhaguri
ü Olundi
ü Goulguivi
ü Bhanumaniupamayava
ü Karati
ü Mashaka
Argya
ü Varshgagavya
ü Kauthuma
ü Shakugitre
ü Jaimini
- Two
major recensions have survived.
o
Kauthuma / Ranayaniya
o
Jaimini
Yajur Veda
- Yajur
Veda contains mantras and procedures for the performance of Yajnas (sacrifices)
- Consists
of prose mantras and linguistically, they are different from earlier vedic
texts.
- Compilation
of ritual offering formulas that were said by a priest while an individual
performed ritual actions such as those before the yajna fire.
- It
has information on what the preparations for Yajna are, the fruits of different
yajnas etc.
- Earliest
Yajur Veda samhita includes about 1875 verses that are distinct yet borrowed
and build upon the foundation verses of Rig Veda.
- Yajur
Veda is the primary source of information about sacrifices during Vedic times
and associated rituals.
- Groups
of Yajur Veda
o
“Black” Krishna Yajur Veda (un-arranged
motley collection of versus)
o
“White” Shukla Yajur Veda (well
arranged verses)
- Krishna
(Black) yajur veda – texts from four major schools have survived.
o
Maitrayani
o
Katha
o
Kapisthala Katha
o
Taittriya
- Shukla
(White) Yajur Veda – texts from two major schools have survived
o
Kanva
o
Madhyandina
- Youngest
layer of Yajur Veda text is not related to rituals or sacrifice; it includes
the largest collection of primary Upanishads, influential to various schools of
Hindu Philosophy.
- Yajur
Veda and its Sakyas
ü Krishna
Yajur Veda
·
Taittriya Samhita
·
Maitrayani Samhita
·
Karaka Katha Samhita
·
Kapisthala Katha Samhita
·
Kathaka
ü Shukla
Yajur Veda
·
Kanava
·
Madhyandina
Atharva Veda
- Atharva
Veda talks about worldly things. It includes information on craftsmanship,
medicine and tantra.
- Atharvana
veda has about 760 hymns and about 160 of the hymns are in common with Rig
Veda.
- Most
of the verses are metrical but some sections are in prose.
- Two
different versions of the text have survived into the modern times. They are
o
Paippalada
o
Saunakiya
- Atharvana
veda was not considered as veda in the vedic era, and was accepted as a veda in
late 1st millennium BC, although some of its materials may go back
to the time of the Rig Veda or earlier.
- Atharvana
veda was a primary source of information about
o
Vedic culture
o
Customs and beliefs
o
The aspirations and frustrations of
everyday vedic life
o
Those practices associated with kings
and governance.
o
Major rituals of passage
ü Marriage
ü Cremation
o
Significant portion of text asking the
meaning of a ritual
Each
Veda is divided into four sections while some say five sections.
Samhita
- Methodical
collection of text or verses
- They
are the first part of each of the Vedas.
- Vedic
Samhita refer to mathematically precise metrical archaic text of each of the
Vedas.
- They
are generally called ‘Mantra Samhitas’ – collection of Mantras.
- The
Rig-Samhita contains the mantras or the hymns known as ‘Richas’. These hymns are metered verses.
- The
Sam-Samhita contains mantras in the form of songs meant for liturgy or public
worship.
- The
Yajur-Samhita contains varieties of mantras composed in the poetical and the
prose forms.
- The
Atharva-Samhita contains mantras meant for routine rites and rituals.
Brahmanas
-
Brahmanas – the technical guide.
-
The Brahmanas constitute the second
part of the Vedas.
-
Brahmanas are commentaries, explanation
of proper methods and meaning of vedic Samhita rituals in the four Vedas.
-
The Brahmanas are explanatory in nature
and they are mostly in prose.
-
The priests would perform the
sacrifices and this section was a guide for priests or Brahmins, hence the name
Brahmana.
-
They also incorporate myths, legends
and in some cases philosophy.
-
Each vedic sakha (branch / school) has
its own operating manual – like Brahmana texts, most of which have been lost.
-
A total of 19 Brahmana texts have survived
into modern times.
·
2 associated with Rig Veda
·
6 associated with Yajur Veda
·
10 associated with Sama Veda
·
1 associated with Atharva Veda
-
The Shat-Patha Brahmana of Yajur Veda is the largest of all the
Brahmanas of all the Vedas.
-
Substance of the Brahmana text varies
with each Veda.
Aranyakas
-
The Aranyakas form the third part of
the Vedas. But sometimes, the Aranyakas are considered as parts of the
Brahmanas.
-
They provide the analysis of Yajna.
-
This section is intended for sadhus and
not for worldly people. The Sanskrit word ‘Aranya’ means a forest.
-
Aranyakas layer of Vedas include
rituals, discussion of symbolic meta-rituals as well as philosophical
speculations.
-
Aranyakas are neither homogenous in
content nor in structure.
-
They are medley of instructions and
ideas and some include chapters of Upanishads within them.
-
Origin of Aranyakas.
·
Two theories have been proposed
Texts were meant to be studied in the
forest.
The name came from these being the
manuals of allegorical interpretation of sacrifices, for those in Vanaprastha
(Retired) stage of their life, according to the historic age-based Ashram
system of human life.
-
The Aranyakas reflect an explicit
transition in the philosophy of life of man.
-
The speculative and intuitive thinking
seems to be developing. Meditative thinking is conspicuous. The Vedic man seems
to be turning from the gross to the subtle.
-
His quest for knowledge seems to be
intensified.
Upanishads
-
Upanishads reflect the last composed
layer of texts in the Vedas.
-
Commonly known as Vedanta, interpreted
to mean either ‘Last chapters or parts of Veda’ or ‘the object, the highest
purpose of the Veda’, ‘The Ultimate Reality’.
-
It is the concluding portions of the
Vedas.
-
The word ‘Upanishad’ is derived from
the Sanskrit root ‘Sad’. The word
Sad refers to the knowledge or Satya. The words ‘upa’ + ‘ni’ suggests ‘sitting
(before someone) with a determination. The word ‘Upanishad’ can be understood
as :
To
sit near (close to) a guru with an objective to acquire knowledge.
-
Concepts of Brahman (Ultimate Reality)
and Aatman (Soul, Self) are central ideas in all the Upanishads.
-
Upanishad is focused on ‘Know your
Aatman’.
-
Most of the Upanishads are in the forms
of dialogues between a master and a disciple. In Upanishads, a seeker raises a topic
and the enlightened guru satisfies the query aptly and convincingly.
-
The Upanishads enrich the human mind as
they discuss
·
Brahman
·
Aatman
·
Life and death
·
Moksha (mukti)
·
Jagat
·
The knowledge (the para vidya and the
apara vidya)
·
The Brahma – gyana (or the aatma –
gyana)
·
Many other related issues elaborately.
-
Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu
philosophical thought and its diverse traditions.
-
The central ideas of the Upanishads
have influenced the diverse traditions of Hinduism.
-
Some Upanishads are in prose form and
in verse form and some are partly composed in prose and partly in verse. Some
of the verse are composed in recent times.
-
108 Upanishads are believed to belong
to the ancient times. Of the 108, ten Upanishads are considered exquisite by distinguished
scholars.
-
The ten Upanishads are
·
Isha
·
Kena
·
Katha
·
Prashna
·
Mundaka
·
Mandukya
·
Chhandogya
·
Brahadaranyaka
·
Aitereya
·
Taitteriya
-
It is believed that
·
Rig Veda has 10 Upanishads
·
Shukla Yajur Veda has 19 Upanishads
·
Krishna Yajur Veda has 32 Upanishads
·
Sama Veda has 16 Upanishads
·
Atharva Veda has 31 Upanishads.
VEDANGAS
(The
limbs of Vedas)
The
Vedangas are six technical texts that are required to understand the Vedas.
They
were developed towards the end of the Vedic period, around or after the middle
of 1st Millennium BC.
Purpose of Vedangas
-
These auillary fields of vedic studies
emerged because of the language of the Vedas, Composed centuries earlier became
too archaic (old or out dated) to the people at that time.
-
The Vedangas were sciences that focussed
on helping understand and interpret the Vedas that had been composed many
centuries earlier.
1. Siksha
(pronunciation)
a. Few
centuries, the Vedas were not written down, but passed down orally as its
meaning is realized in its recitation.
b. The
Vedas cannot be understood in its entirety, nor will its mantras bear fruits as
described unless it is spoken as intended
2. Vyakarana
(Grammer)
a. Grammer
can change the entire meaning of a sentence.
b. Vyakarana
details the correct grammer.
3. Nirukti
(Etymology)
a. Etymology
is the study of the history of language.
b. Nirukti
is the study of the origin of word.
4. Chhandas
(metre)
a. Everything
is created of chandas or syllables.
b. Different
combinations produce different sets of vibrations and meanings.
c. Chhandas
is the study of Vedic metre
5. Jyotisha
(Astronomy / Astrology)
a. As
humans, we reside within the larger system of the cosmos.
b. Changes
in the cosmos affect a multitude of things, including human behaviour.
c. Jyotisha
details the planetary movements, the implications of such movement on the
individual and collective life, auspicious times for the activities etc.,
6. Kalpa
(Ritual)
a. Kalpa
is the manual for rituals relating to various topics including large scale
sacrifices to domestic affairs such as births and marriages.
UPAVEDAS
The Vedas
are followed by four texts, called the Upavedas, that describe different
sciences and arts.
The
four Upavedas are
1. Ayur
Veda
2. Dhanur
Veda
3. Gandharva
Veda
4. Artha
Veda
Ayur Veda
-
Ayur Veda deals with the science of
body
-
According to Ayur Veda, the body is comprised
of three elements
·
Vata (air)
·
Pita (Fire)
·
Kapha (sky / land)
-
Perfect balance of the elements results
in perfect balance of the body.
-
Any imbalance leads to ailments related
to the element that is in excess.
Dhanur Veda
-
Dhanur Veda literally means the Veda of
the bow, but this Upaveda deals not only with archery, but the entire science
of warfare.
-
It includes information on battle plans
and formations, preparation and training of different arms of the military etc,
-
Every little detail about warfare can
be found in Dhanur Veda.
Gandharva Veda
-
It is the Veda for music.
-
Master of music is called Gandharva.
-
It is important to understand the
meaning of the word Sangeet. Literally translated as music, sangeet does not
include only sound. Sangeet means ‘sam’+’geet’, or the coming together of
singing, playing and dance.
-
Thus Gandharva veda is the text for
music and dance.
-
The description of music, its laws, its
development, how to do its sadhna, etc is found in Gandharva Veda.
Artha Veda
-
Artha Veda or Artha Sastra, deals with
the science of Statecraft.
-
It provides all details on rulership,
different areas of government and society.
-
An example is, how the king did not
have the power to make laws, but was the upholder of the law.
PARISISTA
-
Parisista (Supplement, appendix), is
the term applied to various ancillary works of Vedic literature, dealing mainly
with details of rituals and elaboration of the texts logically and
chronologically prior to them: the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Sutras.
-
Naturally classified with the Veda to
which each pertains, Parisista works exist for each of the four Vedas.
-
For Atharvana Veda, the literature
associated is extensive, there are 79 works, collected as 72 distinctly named
parisistas.
OTHER VEDAS – FIFTH VEDA
-
Some post Vedic texts, including the
Mahabharatha, the Natyasastra, certain Puranas refer to themselves as the
‘fifth Veda’.
-
The earliest reference is found in the
Chandogya Upanishad in hymn 7.1.2
“Let drama and dance (Natya) be the
fifth vedic scripture. Combined with an epic story, tending to virtue, wealth,
joy and spiritual freedom, it must contain the significance of every scripture,
and forward every art. Thus, from all the Vedas, Brahma framed the Natya Veda.
From
Rig veda – he drew forth the words
From
Sama Veda – the melody
From
Yajur Veda – the Gesture
From
Atharva Veda – the sentiment.”
-
First Chapter of Natyasastra, Abhinaya.
-
‘Divya
Prabhandham’ is a term for canonical Tamil texts considered as Vernacular
Veda by some South Indian Hindus.
-
Bhagavat
Gita or Vedanta Sutras are
considered as Shruti or Vedic by some hindus but not universally within
Hinduism.
PURANAS
-
Puranas is a vast genre of
encyclopaedic Indian literature about a wide range of topics particularly
myths, legends and other traditional lore.
-
Several of these texts are named after
major Hindu deities.
-
There are
·
18 Maha Puranas (Major Puranas)
·
18 Upa Puranas (Minor Puranas)
-
They are considered Vaidika (congruent
with Vedic literature).
-
Most celebrated and popular text in the
puranic genre is Bhagavata Purana.
-
It is of non dualistic tenor.
-
The Puranic literature wove the Bhakti
movement in India and both Dvaita and Advaita scholars have commented on the
underlying Vedanta themes in the Maha Puranas.
