dkspost_2021 Posts 51 to 60

8/15/2021 Post 51

The third chapter of Aitareya Upanishad discusses the nature of Atman. It declares that consciousness is what defines man, the source of all intellectual and moral theories, all gods, all living beings (man, animals, plants), all that there is. Then the Upanishad asserts that the key to the riddle of the Universe is one’s own inner self.To know the universe, know thyself. Become immortal, suggests the Aitareya Upanishad, by being you.

Aitareya Upanishad, like other Upanishads of Hinduism, asserts the existence of Consciousness as Atman, the Self or Brahman. It contains one of the most famous expressions of the Vedanta, “Prajnanam Brahma” (Knowledge is Brahman/god/divine/holy), which is one of the Mahāvākyas.

Dr Deepak Chopra in his book titled “ageless body and timeless mind” published first in 1993 gives a nice interpretation.

“in ancient India the most basic teaching was that consciousness comes first. Out of absolute consciousness, or pure Being, the entire creation emerged. There are three levels of creation: the world of visible objects, the world of subtle objects, and the world of invisible objects. Visible objects are easy: rocks, trees, clouds, stars. Our five senses are set up to navigate this first world. Subtle things are not difficult, either: emotions, thoughts, wishes, dreams, and fears. Our minds are set up to navigate this second world. But the real specialty of the ancient Vedic seers was the invisible world, where only consciousness exists and only consciousness can know itself.

In this world the seeds of creation are planted. Love, truth, beauty, wisdom, and the peace that passes understanding dwell here. Even though it is invisible, the third world has infinite power. If we could stop being distracted by the five senses and turn our attention inward, each of us would find our true selves in the invisible realm. There we would also discover the power to create anything.”

This gives us a way for improvements. We talk about the Connected world today. Aiteraya upanishad talks about Connected body and mind. We should understand that the mind plays a significant role in our well being and our activities.

This completes our explanation of Aitareya Upanishad.

Let us complete this post with the very powerful Gayatri mantra.

The mantra – Rigveda Samhita 3.62. 10 – was composed by sage Vishwamitra. He composed most of the poems in the third section of the Rigveda. This verse is called the Gayatri mantra possibly because it is composed in the poetic meter called Gayatri.

ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: तत्सवितुर्वरेन्यं । भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि, धीयो यो न: प्रचोदयात् ।।

AUM BHOOR BHUWAH SWAHA

TAT SAVITUR VARENYAM

BHARGO DEVASYA DHEEMAHI

DHIYO YO NAHA PRACHODAYAT

Gayatri Mantra

Translation

Its meaning is that “May the Almighty God illuminate our intellect to lead us along the righteous path”. The mantra is also a prayer to the “giver of light and life” – the sun (savitur).

Oh God! Thou art the Giver of Life,

Remover of pain and sorrow,

The Bestower of happiness,

Oh! Creator of the Universe,

May we receive thy supreme sin-destroying light,

May Thou guide our intellect in the right direction

8/17/2021 Post 52

Let us look at Rig Veda more.

Mr Robert Calasso has written about Vedas . He wonders why no artifacts were found of the Vedic period despite a lot written in Vedas. Only words remain.

Calasso is perplexed about why there were hardly any contemporaries in India reinterpreting the myths, teasing out the very significant elements in the Vedas.

Vedic philosophy, he has said in an interview, “…is so radically different from what we live by today in the mainstream at least, that it is a pure shock. If only for that reason it should be read and studied.”

He ,like Deussen, feels there is a conflict between Brahmins and Kshatriyas. One wants rituals, peace and ahimsa ; other wants to fight and rule. But there is a lot of commonality. Kings are also scholars – example Janaka. Upanishads say Brahmins learnt from Kshatriya kings unknown things. There is a division of labor . Example is Indra and Brahaspati. Same is found with kings and their advisers . He calls this truce between both communities. They have a biased view that Hinduism is only sacrifices and castes. We should see what does Rig Veda say about knowledge, liberal attitude, water, herbs etc.

Let us look at some contents of Rig Veda. Let us look at 10.9 which talks about the significance of water.

10.9 detailed description of water

O Water, because of your presence, the Atmosphere is so refreshing, and imparts us with vigour and strength.
We revere you who gladdens us by your Pure essence.
O Water, this auspicious Sap of yours, please share with us,
Like a Mother desiring (to share her best possession with her children).
O Water, when your invigorating essence goes to one affected by weakness, it enlivens him,
O Water, you are the source of our lives.
O Water, may the auspicious divinity which is wished for be present in you when we drink (water).
May the auspiciousness which supports you, flow to us.
O Water, may the divinity in Water dwell in the Farm lands,
O Water, I implore you to give nutrition (to the crops).
O Water, Soma told me that in Water is present all Medicinal Herbs of the World, …
and also Agni (Fire) who brings auspiciousness to the World.
O Water, you are abundantly filled with Medicinal Herbs; Please protect my body, …
so that I can see the Sun for long (i.e. I live long).
O Water, please wash away whatever wicked tendencies are in me, …
and also wash away the treacheries burning me from within, and any falsehood present in my Mind.
O Water, today, to you who is pervaded by fine Rasa (Invigorating Sap) I came,
I deeply enter (i.e. bathe) in you who is pervaded by Agni (Fire Principle); May that Agni produce lustre in me.

Quote of Adi Shankaracharya

“The same objections lie against the doctrine of the world having originated from atoms. For on that doctrine one atom when combining with another must, as it is not made up of parts, enter into the combination with its whole extent, and as thus no increase of bulk takes place we do not get beyond the first atom If, on the other hand, you maintain that the atom enters into the combination with a part only, you offend against the assumption of the atoms having no parts.”

8/19/2021 Post 53

Let us see some more on water in Rig veda which shows the understanding of the resources of nature in those days. Rain is seen as a source. Later we will see rivers.

It has two parts one on Brahmins another on frogs. People , cows, goats and frogs rejoice at the onset of the monsoon. There is a festival spirit everywhere.

HYMN X.CIII. Titled as Frogs.

1. THEY who lay quiet for a year, the Brahmans who fulfil their vows,

The Frogs have lifted up their voice, the voice Parjanya hath inspired.

2 What time on these, as on a dry skin lying in the pool’s bed, the floods of heaven descended,

The music of the Frogs comes forth in concert like the cows bellowing with their calves beside them.

3 At the coming of the Rains ,the water has poured upon them as t…

8/21/2021 Post 54

Let us see the mention of rivers in rig veda. It mentions several rivers and also rain water flooding rivers. It is clear that Vedic civilization is not restricted to the Indus river area only. It was in sarasvati river valley and moved from West to east to Yamuna and Ganga river areas As the people did farming and rearing cattle, they were moving around. Let us look at hymns on rivers.

The Rivers have come forward triply, seven and seven. Sindhu in might surpasses all the streams that flow.

2 Varuṇa cut the channels for thy forward course, O Sindhu, when thou rannest on to win the race.

Thou speedest o’er precipitous ridges of the earth, when thou art Lord and Leader of these moving floods.

3 His roar is lifted up to heaven above the earth: he puts forth endless vigour with a flash of light.

Like floods of rain that fall in thunder from the cloud, so Sindhu rushes on bellowing like a bull.

4 Like mothers to their calves, like milch kine with their milk, so, Sindhu, unto thee the roaring rivers run.

Thou leadest as a warrior king thine army’s wings what time thou comest in the van of these swift streams.

5 Favour ye this my lord, O Gan!gā, Yamunā, O Sutudri, Paruṣṇī and Sarasvatī:

With Asikni, Vitasta, O Marudvrdha, O Ārjīkīya with Susoma hear my call.

6 First with Trstama thou art eager to flow forth, with Rasā, and Susartu, and with Svetya here,

With Kubha; and with these, Sindhu and Mehatnu, thou seekest in thy course Krumu and Gomati.

7 Flashing and whitely-gleaming in her mightiness, she moves along her ample volumes through the realms,

Most active of the active, Sindhu unrestrained, like to a dappled mare, beautiful, fair to see.

8 Rich in good steeds is Sindhu, rich in cars and robes, rich in gold, nobly-fashioned, rich in ample wealth.

Blest Silamavati and young Urnavati invest themselves with raiment rich in store of sweets.

9 Sindhu hath yoked her car, light-rolling, drawn by steeds, and with that car shall she win booty in this fight.

So have I praised its power, mighty and unrestrained, of independent glory, roaring as it runs

Let us look at some other aspects like grains, pulses and food in that period in the next post.

Bhartrhari

The Creator has given man, as it were, a cloak to conceal his ignorance: with that he can cover himself at all times, for it is always at hand. That gift is silence, the special ornament of the ignorant in the assembly of the wise.

8/23/2021 Post 55

Let us look at Vedic food. Cooking was known at that time. Both agriculture and dairy were developed.

Milk from cows and buffalos and its products played an important role in the Vedic Indians’ diet and the Indian diet from this time forward. Milk, raw or boiled, was drunk as a beverage, or cooked with parched barley meal to make a porridge called odana. Milk was also transformed into yogurt since milk left out in a hot climate quickly *ferments and coagulates. The process can be speeded up by heating the milk and adding a starter. Yogurt was eaten by itself, flavored with honey, mixed with barley to make a dish called karambha in the Rig Veda. Interestingly the word is still used in Gujarat.

Yogurt was also folded into fresh milk. Yogurt was and is churned to make butter (unlike in Europe, where butter is made from cream) and the leftover liquid becomes buttermilk – a favorite drink in rural India, sometimes flavored with cumin or pepper. If butter is boiled to evaporate the water, the milk solids fall to the bottom and the melted butter becomes translucent ghee (clarified butter), the most valued Indian cooking medium. From ancient times to the present, ghee has also been used in Hindu rituals .

Flavorings in the Vedic period included mustard seed, turmeric, long pepper, bitter orange, and sesame seeds. Sesame is mentioned in many texts, both as a food and for rituals. As a regular dietary item, sesame seeds were boiled with rice and milk to make a porridge, cooked with vegetables, or roasted and pounded to make a crispy bread. The seeds were crushed in an animal-powered device to produce an oil that remains a common cooking medium in southern and western India.

Fruits and vegetables mentioned in the Rig Veda include three varieties of jujube, bael, dates, Indian gooseberry, mango, cucumber, lotus stalks and roots, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, water chestnut, and other aquatic plants.

Rig veda quotes on ghee are:

“These nourishing liquids flow together like streams, being purified within by heart and mind

These waves of ghee rush, like wild beasts retreating from a javelin.

They float, like lovely young women to marriage assemblies, smiling, to Agni.

The streams of ghee approach the kindling sticks. (Agni) delights, taking pleasure in them.

I keep gazing upon them, who are like maidens smearing on unguent to go their wedding

Where the soma is pressed, where the sacrifice is performed, toward that do the streams of ghee go purifying themselves”

Rig veda mentions Barley and wheat and pulses.

Max Muller in his lecture to trainees of Indian Civil service at Oxford University

“If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power, and beauty that nature can bestow—in some parts a very paradise on earth—I should point to India. If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most full developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have studied Plato and Kant—I should point to India. And if I were to ask myself from what literature we, here in Europe, we who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thoughts of Greeks and Romans, and of one Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw that corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal, in fact more truly human, a life, not for this life only, but a transfigured and eternal life—again I should point to India.”

8/25/2021 Post 56 & 57

Rig veda talks about forests , the store house of resources and rich natural beauty. Forests grow naturally and provide food and fuel to people, food and shelter for animals , birds and insects. The hymn gives importance to forests.

10.146 Aranya forests

GODDESS of wild and forest who seemest to vanish from the sight.

How is it that thou seekest not the village? Art thou not afraid?

2 What time the grasshopper replies and swells the shrill cicada’s voice,

Seeming to sound with tinkling bells, the Lady of the Wood exults.

3 And, yonder, cattle seem to graze, what seems a dwelling-place appears:

Or else at eve the Lady of the Forest seems to free the wains.

Cow and other animals find sustenance in the wild like in their homes, and when in the evening carts laden with forest produce emerge they return to their home, as if the gods in forests are sending them back to their homes with carts laden with bounties of the forests.

4 Here one is calling to his cow, another there hath felled a tree:

At eve the dweller in the wood fancies that somebody hath screamed.

5 The Goddess never slays, unless some murderous enemy approach.

Man eats of savoury fruit and then takes, even as he wills, his rest.

Forests cause no harm to anyone who goes there to partake of the sweet fruits and bounties of nature, and not to exploit the forest wealth for his greed.

6 Now have I praised the Forest Queen, sweet-scented, redolent of balm,

The Mother of all sylvan things, who tills not but hath stores of food.

Forests as may appear to be deserted perishing , but they do not deter your entry and do not ask any questions about your antecedents.

Give recognition to role of Forests, in which like a mother unselfishly uncultivated without human efforts provide sweet smelling scents like those of musk deer and sustenance to nurture cows to feed freely to enable excellent nutrition.

So far we have seen many aspects of Rig veda. There are many more concepts to be found in Rig veda. It talks about many living aspects like animals, professions,diseases, child birth ,herbs, gambling and many other religious aspects like birth ,death , etc .

Let us pause on Rig veda for now and look at some more hymns later. Let us move to yajurveda next.

Subhashitam

आशाणां मनाणाु ं काचदाय खलां । बा यया ूधावतं माँठु ं त पगं वतु ॥ ॥

Hope is an amazing bonding chain of man. Those who are bonded by it run, and those who are free, remain immobile like disabled.

8/27/2021 Post 58

The Yajur Veda is an ancient collection of Sanskrit mantras and verses, written in prose form used in Hindu worship and rituals. … The name is derived from the Sanskrit roots, yajus, meaning “worship” or “sacrifice”‘ and veda, meaning “knowledge.” Yajur Veda is sometimes translated as “Knowledge of the Sacrifice. It contains detailed descriptions for rituals and yagas.

The mantras within Yajur Veda are used during religious rituals such as those before the yajna fire, and they are most commonly recited by the adhvaryu who preside over the physical details of a sacrifice.

Every yaga has four persons – or groups -to conduct it. Each of the four Vedas is assigned a specific Hindu priest; hota for Rig Veda, adhvaryu for Yajur Veda, udgata for Sama Veda and brahman for Atharva Veda. Brahma or Brahman is responsible for the correctness of procedures and recitations by others. His decision is final. See the organizational structure – specialists and a person with overall knowledge to oversee correctness. How many industries even today have a person to see correctness of activities as they go on and do online corrections?IT can learn from this to appoint a corrector during a process. It will reduce errors and bugs. Post audit is tedious and misses errors. This would have helped Infosys to build a usable error less software for a simple task like OT returns instead of the Tamasha going on now

Although each priest plays an essential role in the religious rituals, the adhvaryu functions as executive priest, reciting from the Yajur Veda to assign sacrificial duties to the yajamana (ritual patron) and other priests. Yajamanas role is nominal.

There are two forms of Yajur Veda – the white or “pure” Yajur Veda known as Shukla, and the black or “dark” Yajur Veda known as Krishna. The sukhla Yajur Veda deals with prayers and specific instructions for devotional sacrifices, whereas the krishna Yajur Veda deals with sacrificial rituals. Krishna yajurveda is a common one practised today .

The Vedas were originally transmitted by word of mouth, before being edited by various schools known as shakhas. Of all four Vedas, the Yajur Veda gathered the largest amount of schools, further dividing the Shukla and Krishna Yajur Vedas into the following samhitas (verses):

Shukla:
Madhyandina Samhita
Kanva Samhita
Krishna:
Taittiriya Samhita
Kathaka Samhita
Kapishthala Samhita
Maitrayani Samhita

Let us see how shukla yajurveda came up in the next post.

Quotes of Adi Sankaracharya

8/29/2021 Post 59

Let us why there are two separate Yajur vedas. Rishi Vaishampayana taught the Yajurveda to Rishi Yajyavalkya and other pupils. Once Vaishampayana got angry with Yajyavalkya – there is an unconfirmed story about the reason. The guru wanted the shishyas to do penance for his mistake and Yajnavalkya didn’t want to do it. Another story is Yajnavalkya felt that sacrifices including Ashwameda are symbolic and while he is an expert on rituals, he feltvedas are more than rituals . So he did not accept the interpretation of his guru. That is another reason for disagreement.- and his guru asked him to give back what he had learnt. Yajyavalkya vomited the Veda by the power of Yoga, while the other pupils at the command of his teacher swallowed up the Yajush thus vomited, assuming the form of birds called Tittiri. Thus, the Yajush became dark and was named Krishna or Taittiriya. Then Yajyavalkya prayed to the Sun, who came to him in the form of a horse (i.e. Vaji ) and gave him back the Yajush. Hence this Yajurveda was named Shukla or Vajasaneyi.

Upanishads belonging to Yajur veda are:

Shukla Yajurveda
Ishavasyopanishad (Madhyandina)
Ishavasyopanishad (Kanva)
Brihadaranyakopanishad (Madhyandina)
Brihadaranyakopanishad (Kanva)
Krishna Yajurveda
Taittiriyopanishad
Shvetashvataropanishad
Maitrayaniopnishad
Kathakopanishad
Kathopanisad

Most people particularly in South India follow krishna yajurveda . taittiriya upanishad is well known and many quotes are taken from it . We will see them later. Kapali Sastry , a vedic and Upanishads exponent and follower of sri Aurobindo had another explanation for taittri – revelation.

Let me start with a hymn about light in Kanda 1 . See the different ways of looking at light

i. 4. 34.

a I place thee that hast light.
b I place thee that makest light.
c I place thee that findest light.
d I place thee that shinest.
e I place thee that burnest.
f I place thee that flashest.
g I place thee that art aflame.
h I place thee that blazest.
i I place thee that art immortal.
k I place thee that hast great light.
l I place thee that awakenest.
m I place thee that art awake.

Do you see a sacrifice here. Even when they offer a tree for a yagna, they only do it with a few twigs put on fire ,not the whole tree. Symbolism is clear here.

8/31/2021 Post 60

Mr Srinivasan PNB,has a question

Please dwell a little more on the shukla and krishna yajurveda.

My understanding, rather misunderstanding was that the difference is only in the method of recitation. Other wise text is the same.”

My response

Both are different structurally and organizationally. Sukla contains more mantras, gives primacy to mantras . Sukla separates the samhita from Brahmanas . Krishna combines both in unorganised manner. It gives primacy to procedures also. It has very detailed descriptions of yagas and worship methods.

Structurally also both are different. Krishna covers a lot more topics than Sukla. We will see this later in detail. Our practice in South India is krishna and Taitreya upanishad. Krishna contains details about trees, construction , numbers , and many other topics. Many are found in Sukla also. Most importantly, krishna has a fine exposition of Sri Rudram – namakam and chamakam. They are found in appendix of Sukla and not in the main part. We will be seeing them later.

The last section of the Vajasaneyi-Samhita that is Sukla YV contains the popular Ishavasya-Upanishad. It is important to know that the first eighteen Adhyayas of the Vajasaneyi- Samhita are completely given, word for word, and explained in the Shatapatha – means hundred paths- Brahmana of the Sukla Yajurveda. On the basis of this point few scholars think that the last sections of this Samhita are of a later date.

Shukla Yajur Veda is an important branch of Yajur Veda and is not known to very many people. For instance, the following famous shloka is from Bruhadharanya Upanishad, part of Shukla Yajur Veda:

Asatoma Sadhgamaya,

Thamaso Maa Jyothir Gamaya

Mrithyor Maa Amrutham Gamaya

Aum Shanthi Shanthi Shanthi

More of Yajnavalkya’s story is given below.

Then Yájnawalkya did a penance to Lord Surya (sun) and learned Shukla Yajurveda from him.

Thus eulogized by Yájnawalkya, the sun, in the form of a horse, appeared to him, and said, “Demand what you desire.” To which the sage, having prostrated himself before the lord of day, replied, “Give me a knowledge of those texts of the Yajush with which even my preceptor is unacquainted.” Accordingly the sun imparted to him the texts of the Yajush called Ayátayáma (unstudied), which were unknown to Vaiśampáyana: and because these were revealed by the sun in the form of a horse, the Brahmans who study this portion of the Yajush are called Vájis (horses). Fifteen branches of this school sprang from Kańwa and other pupils of Yájnawalkya.

This story is also mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam 12.6 (verse 62-74) where division of Vedas are discussed.