The Vedas: Part 1 - Rig Veda

[Surya Deva]

On the suggestion of Zenzero I am creating a 4 part series of topics on the 4 Vedas. This is part 1 and will cover the Rig Veda and give a brief introduction to the Vedas.

What are the Vedas?

The Vedas are the oldest, most central and most authorative scriptures of Hinduism. In fact much of Hinduism and all other dharmic religions have sprung from the Vedas. Hence why the Vedas are considered the foundation of dharma and define the whole dharmic tradition.

The word Veda means knowledge, it is a conjunct of vi, meaning to weave and da, meaning that which is available. In other words Veda means to synthesise the information that is available, thus leading to the creation of knowledge. Hence the Vedas are the books of knowledge. The Vedas were originally passed down through the ages through an oral tradition from an unknown antiquiy. They were later written down into one huge text and then divided by sage Vyassa into three books, the Rig, the Yajur and the Sama. Then a fourth book emerged later known as the Atharva. These four texts are collectively known as the Vedas.

The Vedas are written in an archaic form of Sanskrit known as Vedic Sanskrit. It is written in a special kind of poetic and metred form known as Mantra. A Mantra is a special kind of word or a combination of words and sentences which are constructed as such that the sounds combine in an ordered way to produce specific meanings and effects. These Mantras are said to encapulate a certain essence which can only be revealed when one meditates on the Mantras deeply. There are thousands of Mantras in the Vedas composed by hundreds of different authors, both male and female. These authors are known as Risis, meaning seers.

Although, the Vedas are composed by hundreds of different Risis, they are considered to be revealed texts, eternal and of non-human origin. The Risis - the wise sages - attaining to a superconscious state in their deep meditation, have said to have experienced ultimate reality directly, fathomed the deepest secrets of creation and experienced the divine. In this state they heard the Mantras of the Vedas. Hence why the Vedas are called Sruti(heard) and are believed to contain knowledge which is eternal and absolute. This is why Hinduism is known as Santana Dharma - the eternal religion.

The time the Vedas were written is unknown, and although there has been much speculation by scholars, 1500BCE, 2000BCE, no consensus has been reached. However, based on scientific dating by noting down astronomical references in the Vedas, the Vedas have been declared to be before 4000BCE. This means they are the oldest books in the world.

They are the most difficult books to translate because of their really archaic form of Sanskrit and their rife symbolism. This has lead to several translations being published which are grossly inaccurate and poorly translated, distorting much of the original text. The worst translations are the ones published in the 19th century by European scholars. They show a near complete ignorance of the Sanskrit language and its grammar, and this is born out in their translations which are sloppy, careless and unintellgible.

Fortunately, anticipating the problems of reading the Vedas, the Vedic scholars created linguistic tools to read the Vedas, including Sanskrit dictionaries, etymologies, grammars and prosody.These have been used by Indian Pundits since to read the Vedas. Tradionally this was done through years of formal study of Indian linguistics, before one was considered qualified to read the Vedas. Thus the most reliable translations are published by Indian Pundits and expert Sanskritists who have mastered the language.

Thus concludes the brief description of the Vedas. I will now proceed in my subsequent posts to cover each of the Vedas by creating a topic for each, giving a very brief description on each and then selecting and quoting some verses from each. This would be a great resource for anybody wanting to read the Vedas.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Suraj,
Thankyou very much.
You are a born writer. Your grasp is crispy clear.
Unfortunately am not allowed to frubal you at present but you surely deserve more.
Personally am sure all those who are interested to know about Dharma / Religion be they believer of any faith should read this post to get an understanding as to how Religion first took roots amongst humans on earth.
Love & rgds

 

[Surya Deva]

The Rig Veda

The Rig Veda is considered to be the oldest and the most glorious of the four Vedas. The word Rig comes from the sanskrit root Rik, and mean praise, word or Mantra. Thus the Rig Veda is the book of praises, words and Mantras. There were originally 21 branches of the Rig veda, of which only one has survived. The Rig Veda consists of 1028 hymns(Suktas) which consist of 10,552 stanzas and 39,831 verses and 432,000 syllables - arranged in 10 books, known as mandalas. The hymns are each addressed to a Deva(shining one, deity) of which the most are addressed to Indra, Agni, Soma, Mitra-Varuna, Ushas, Rudra - each of them representing the power or principle underlying a phenomena.

The most important, most well know and famous Hymns from the Rig Veda is the Nasadiya Sukta(creation hymn) So I will open the Rig Veda with that:

Nasadiya Sukta

In the beginning
the non-existent was not then
Nor was the existent
The Earth was not, nor the Firament
Nor that which is beyond
What was the covering?
And where and in whose care did the cosmic waters and the bottomless deep then exist?

There was no death nor immortality then;
There was no sign of night, nor of day
There was only that One that breathed without breath with its own nature
Other than him there was nothing else.

In the beginning there was darkness,
intensified darkness, indistinguishable darkness.
All this visible world was reduced to its primordial state.
This primordial world which was enveloped by the all pervading power of that One, came to be, born from the force of His great heat.

In the beginning the Divine will arose
This was the first seed of mind of the Creator.
Those who can see beyond by putting their mind and heart together
Found the binding link of the existent in the non existent.
The non-existent existing in the existent

The rays of the Divine will spread across the whole world
They spread below and above
And the result was that small and big organism bearing seeds were born.
The below was earth and that above was heaven, the divine impulse.

Who truly knows, and who can declare whence it cometh?
And wihither it vanishesh?
The divine powers were born
much later after Creation came into being
Who then knows whence it came about?

Whence this creation has come
he holds or does not hold;
He who is its surveyor in the highest heaven
He alone knoweth
And yet doth he know?

(Rig 10.129.1-7)

 

[Surya Deva]

Thank you very much Zenzero I am hoping Hindus and non-Hindus can use this as a resource to get a taste of the Vedas. These hymns are great to be meditated on, to ponder over what they say and understand their real meaning. In fact we can even discuss them here to help us understand them

The above creation account is similar to the big-bang theory, with some significant differences. It posits that in the beginning there was nothing, it was a state which was beyond existence and non-existence, there was absolute darkness, indistinguishable darkness and matter was in its primordial state. Then out of a great heat, the universe came into being and spread out in all directions, producing the seeds that later give rise to the whole universe and everything within it.

This sounds very much like a poetic description of the big-bang. The difference is that it also describes that which was prior to it, it describes that as that ONE, which is a dynamic being that is self-caused and and self-existent. The big-bang takes place when a will comes upon that being, giving rise to cosmic mind. This is significant because in Hindu philosophy of mind, desire is what causes mind and reality to manifest, thus causing duality and entrapping the soul in causality. Hence why liberation from duality and causality(Samsara) by becoming desireless is the ultimate aim of Hinduism.

The Nasadiya Sukta has been expanded on by the Samkhya school of Hindu Philosophy, giving a complete account of all of the stages prior and posterior to the manifestation of the universe. Prior, the universe exists in an undifferentiated(avakyaktum) state and is made of a substance known as 'akasha', a sort of universal field or fabric consists of invisible and infinitesimal atoms, which are like strings. This is the primordial state the Veda refers to. It is a state beyond-existence and non-existence. The Samkhya call this Mulaprakriti. In this state the universe is in balance because of by three forces Rajas(attraction), Sattva(neutral) and Tamas(repulsion). Then, due to an imbalance, the symmetry is broken and the universe becomes differentiated(vyaktum) This causes the akasha or cosmic field to vibrate, causing modifications in the primordial atoms, which then begin to combine and recombine to form the elements. The first element is tejas(heat) and this crudifies further to form space(apas) and then matter. This refers to the original fireball in the big-bang, whose expansion leads to the physical universe(Prakriti) However, this is not the end-state, the Samkhya states that the forces of Rajas, Sattva and Tamas are constantly in a state of flux, causing the evolution of the universe until finally after a certain point in time they start to balance again, causing the involution(big crunch) of the universe.

It is very significant how the Risis could gain this knowledge in the absence of of modern scientific instruments. There is here a combination of big bang, supersymmetry and superstring theory. The Nasadiya Sukta here alludes that the Risis found this knowledge by meditation by combining their mind and heart to find the link between the existent and non-existent. This suggests that it is possible to gain real scientific knowledge simply through meditation.

Hinduism gains massive credibility as a religion here. Its creation account is very similar to the scientific creation account, as opposed to other religious creation accounts which use myths. Indeed, Hinduism claims to be an eternal religion and there whatever it says must be in agreement with science to meet that criteria and surely enough there seems to be a clear agreement here.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Nice post, Suraj, I appreciate it.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Suraj,
Thank you very very much.Please do not give it up and request post only one per day for me and others to digest even if no one responds, do know I am taking my pill, unless intimate d.
Love & rgds

 

[Surya Deva]

Thank you Aupmanyav and Zenzero

Zenzero, I promise to only post one main Sukta a day, or if they are smaller ones, just a couple. As I posted the Nasadiya Sukta yesterday, today I will post the next most famous Rig Veda Sukta, Purusuh Sukta. The Purush Sukta is like a follow up to the Nasadiya Sukta. The word 'Purush' refers to that supreme soul, and the Sukta describes how that supreme soul performed a cosmic sacrifice to create the universe, where he was the offering, he was the priest and he was fire. He alone transformed himself to form this whole universe. The universe is thus visulalised as the supreme being(Purush) This is a very profound hymn and requires deep contemplation.

Purush Sukta

The Supreme being is thousand-headed,
Thousand eyed, thousand footed;
He pervades the Universe on all sides,
And extends beyond the ten directions

He, indeed is all that is, all that has been and all that will be.
He is the Lord of Immortality
Transcending through material existence

Such is his magnificence, but
The Supreme being is greater than this;
All of which was created in this world is but a quarter of him, three quarters make up immortality in the Supreme region(heaven)

Three quarters of the Supreme being rise above all of creation and remain abstract.
One quarter part is here and manifests again and again
And diverified in form, it moves to the animate and inanimate world

Through the divine energy of Supreme being this dynamic universe(Virat) came into existence, and Brahma was born to care for it. It grew very large, expanding in all directions(front and back)

With the coming into being of the universe.
The adaptation of the primordial matter was made in the primeval activities. The Purush(soul) himself became the substance of the sacrifice.
In this cosmic sacrifice the spring became the ghee that made the fire burn brighter, the, summer became the wood that fuelled the fire and autumn the offering to be burnt.

For this Sacrifice 7 were the fencing logs,21 the firebands.
With this did the divine powers bind the substance of Purush and perform the sacrifice.

That Purush, the substance of the sacrifice, who existed in the beginning was sprinkled with nectar. By this means did the divine powers sacrifice and transform that Purush.

From that sacrifce was produced animals, birds, fruits, flowers, vegetations and all life.

From that sacrifice was produced the Rig Veda, the Sama Veda, The Vedic metres and the Yajur Veda.

From that sacrifice were produced horses and animals with one row of teeth and two rows of teeth. And were born cattle and sheep.

How did they divide that Purush, into what form; what was its mouth? what was its arms? What were its thighs and his feet?

His mouth became the wise teachers, his arms became the warriors. His thighs became the merchants and his feet became the workers.

From his mind was born the moon; from his eyes the sun was born. From his breath issued the wind and from his face was born fire.

His navel became the middle space. His head became the upper luminous outer space. His feet became the lower terrestrial space. The entire planetary universe evolved like this.

That valorous Purush who has materialised all forms and names, and maintains them all.
That glorious sun-brilliant Purush that which is beyond all darkness, I know him

To attain liberation I know not of any other paths, that which was revealed by Brahma, the supreme being in the beginning, who Indra knows well. In the four quarters and everywhere, he who know him in the same manner becomes immortal in this very birth.

By sacrifice did the divine powers sacrifice. It is they who laid down the dharma. Those great ones that follow the path of Dharma will attain to heaven, where those that walked the path before and the divine powers reside.

From the essense of the elements was the Brahmanada, universe born. As vishvakarma, the divine architect, Purush, who is more than the universe, appear. As the tvastha, the divine he establishes the forms and shapes the universes and all worlds contained within it. Then was that divine Purush universal form established.

That glorious sun-brilliant Purush, who transcends all darkness, I know him. He who knows him in this way becomes immortal in this very birth.
To become liberated I know not of any paths.

As Prajapati, the lord of the subjects, he lives in the womb of all. Unborn, but he appears in many ways. The steadfast knows his true form. Even the creators, who know him, desire to the positions to sages like Mareechi who worship him.

I salute him, who shines as divinity in the divine powers, who is Brashpati, the divine priest, who was born before the divine powers, who is self-brilliant, the supreme parabrahman.

The divine powers who send forth knowledge of that Brahman have declared this about Brahman in the very beginning.
Whoever has an inclination to that Brahman, and knows him, will have control over all the divine powers.

Hree and Laskhmai, fortune and wealth, are your wives. The day and nights your sides. The stars your brilliant form and your speech, Asvins, the divine physicians.

Grant us knowledge that we desire
Grant us happiness in this world
Grant us all that is, now and forever

Om Shanti

 

[zenzero]

OM SHANTI! OM SHANTI!
Must say friend Suraj,
It is difficult to grasp, to visualise these aspects of creation.
Is there any possibility of expalining such SUKTAs in contempory / scientific language?
If Sanatan Dharma has to be understood my maximum humans then it has to be in a language which can be scientifically explained. Till then we have only to accept in its present form.
Love & rgds

 

[Surya Deva]

Hi Zenzero, I can gladly give some commentary on the Purush Sukta.

I will give one or two paragraphs of commentary on per stanza, so just match each stanza to each paragraph of commentary

1. Here the Sukta is saying in poetic language that this universe is infinite and infinite are these universes, infinite are the suns and planets. Yet, that supreme being is beyond all this. He is manifest in this universe, and infinite other universes, in infinite forms but yet he is still One.

2. This supreme being is all of existence, he is both the past, the present and the future(kala, the infinite) He is eternal, non-changing and pure. This whole universe that we perceive is pervaded by him.

3. Yet, this manifest, visible and phenomenal universe is only one quarter of reality, three-quarters are unmanifest and invisible. This is referring to the physical, subtle, causal and Brahman realms.

In the physical realm, we can perceive various objects, but these objects are only appearances that appear as such due to being made sensible by our senses. They have other underlying realities that we cannot sense. In scientific language an object that we perceive with our senses may appear to look like a solid object, but we know under an electron microscope that it is mostly empty space, a nucleus surrounded by a cloud of whirling electrons.

The subtle realm is the equivalent of the quantum domain, this is the reality of the quantum nature of the object being perceived. This is the intermediate stage between subject and object.

Then follows the causal realm, there is no modern scientific equivalent for this, this is the the stage of pure subjectness and this is where the divine powers(devas) reside. Then further from this is the reality is the supreme being, where subject and object duality collapses and there is One non-dual reality.

4. The above is declared again. The three-quarters that we cannot perceive because we are entangled in phenomenalism due to our senses are the higher realities of the universe and are eternal. The part that we do see which is the physical world is the one under the domain of time, and is perpetually created and destroyed. All animate and inanimate objects occurr in this realm.

5. The energy of that supreme being is transformed by coming into contact with Prakriti and this is what causes the universe(Virat) to manifest in the physical and it expands outwards. The Vedas say that Brahma is born in each to take care of it. I suspect this is referring to a cosmic mind being born in each universe and in turns corresponds to the individual soul(jeeva)

6. The Sukta now explains the process of that transformation of that supreme being into the universe and its evolutes. This is the point where Purush comes into contact with Prakriti and subject and object duality begins. The Sukta says that adaptations in the original primordial matter begins to take place. This is referring to the stage where the atoms begin to combine and recombine to form different elements. It describes this poetically by using the metaphor of a vedic sacrifice. Spring is the season where something new is born, summer is where it blooms, and autumn is where it begins to die out. In the same way matter is transformed, undergoes a change in atomic composition and then forms a new substance.

7. The Sukta continues with the metaphor of the Vedic sacrifice. When the Vedas refer to numbers of x, it is very difficult to say what x symbolises, without reading commentaries. The possible suggestions that 7 fences and 21 firebands(wood) refers to a combination of the senses, working organs, the mode of senses etc.

The Sukta then tells us that the priests of the sacrifice were the the Devas themselves. This is indicating something more than just inert atoms combining and recombining, this is referring to the fundamental laws under which the transformation takes place. It is not only the core of atomic physics, but it is referring to the eternal principles within cosmic intelligence itself which govern and order the universe.

8. The Sukta continues telling us about the Vedic Sacrifice metaphor, now describing how the Purush was sprinkled with holy water and hence bringing us towards the end of the sacrifice. So what comes out of this sacrifice?

9. LIFE is born. This life is born in various and myriad forms ranging from plants, single-celled organisms to complex organisms, and of course human life.

10. The evolution of life is the evolution of intelligence, and as life becomes more intelligent and takes on human form it begins to gain knowledge. Hence why the Vedas are born.

11. The Sukta now tells us that life like horses, cattle and sheep are produced. They are the life-bread of the farmer, who by domesticating them produces grain for himself. This is the first expression of intelligence.

12. The Sukta now deals with how society should be organised. It refers to the head of society as being the wise teachers, the arms of society as being the administrators/government and civil services, the thighs of society as merchants and manufacturers who produce goods for society and cause it to move, and finally the feet as the labourers without whom society could not stand up.

13. It continues by describing how the same schematic repeats itself in both the objective and subjective universe. The mind that causes the waves to stir in consciousness, is just like the moon that causes waves to stir in the ocean. The eyes that cause one to see, is just like the sun in the sky which illuminates all. The breath which gives one life, is just like the wind which moves the air containing the oxygen in the atmosphere. The face which which glows with a warm complexion is just like fire.

14. Now the Sukta describes how our body is just like the universe. The navel, or solar plexus which occurs in the mid-region of the body is just like the galaxy, the head which occurs in the upper section of the body, is just like outer space and the feet which occurr in the lower section of the body is just like the the solar system.

15. The Sukta now declares that this whole vast universe is that supreme being who has materialised in myriad forms and phenomena. The Risis declares that he knows that underlying all this is verily that supreme being.

16. The Risis continues by saying that this knowledge was installed into our being from the very beginning. That all beings everywhere in the universe can realise this knowledge and liberate themselves in this birth. Indeed there is no other path other than self-realisation in his birth alone.

17. It reiterates that this whole phenomenal universe is a sacrifice of that supreme being under his eternal principles. It based on these eternal principles that dharma is established, hence santana dharma. All of those that follow this religion will become liberated and attain to the higher realms and meet all those realised souls and divine powers there.

18. It the essence(spirit) within the elements that caused this universe to be born. It is the supreme being, the divine architect that planned and ordered this universe. It is the supreme, the divine smith, that fashioned everything within it, including all the solar systems, planets and life. Hence the whole universe was established.

19. The Risi once again declares that the brilliant supreme being underlies all of the universe. That to become liberated one must realise this in this birth alone.

20. As Prajapati, the lord of the subjects, the supreme being dwells in all as that Atman. This Atman was never born, but projects itself in myriad forms. Those who resolve to know him and undergo the austerties to do that will know this Atman. Even those divine powers who do know him, would desire to be like that human on his journey to self-discovery and who have the opportunity to worship that supreme being.(The Devas are inert, so they cannot attain the supreme)

21. The Risis prostates to that supreme being, who is actually not only the sacrifice and the sacrificed, but also the priest of sacrifice. It is all him. There was never a time when that supreme did not exist and never will be such a time. He is unborn and comes before creation, the Devas and humans. He is Brahman and Parabrahman.

22. The Risis have gained this knowledge of that infinite Brahman from the divine powers(intelligence, intuition, judgement, truth, life) The Risi further declares that whoever knows that Brahman will master the divine powers itself.
In other words by knowing the supreme being one gains infinite intelligence and powers.

23. The Risis praises the supreme being, whose wives are fortune and wealth, whose sides are day and night, whose stars form his beautiful and glittering body and whose speech is the medicine that heals us.

24. The Risis ends with a prayer to that supreme being to bless the world with knowledge, happiness forever.

 

[Surya Deva]

There are very lofty and profound concepts in the Purush Sukta. It is such a beautiful description of the creation of the universe, unparallelled for its poetry and profundity. Hindus should be very proud to belong to such a wise religion.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Suraj,
Thanks for your explaination. Helped a lot.
Agree with you that:

5. The energy of that supreme being is transformed by coming into contact with Prakriti and this is what causes the universe(Virat) to manifest in the physical and it expands outwards. The Vedas say that Brahma is born in each to take care of it. I suspect this is referring to a cosmic mind being born in each universe and in turns corresponds to the individual soul(jeeva)

Love & rgds

 

[Don Penguinoini]

You are a very very good typer. It was nice to read all this!

Frubals!!

 

[Aupmanyav]

Yes, Zenzero, that is why our books say 'Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma'. Every thing is Brahman. It is not restricted to this or that.

 

[Surya Deva]

Thanks guys

The following hymns are in praise of inspiration, divine speech and wisdom. The deity or divinity that presides over them is Sarasvati.

Hymns to Sarasvati

May the Divine speech that
Perfects our understanding and divine knowledge
And all satisfying divine culture
Be with us at our fautless Yajna and worship
And protect us for our welfare
(Rig 3.4.8)

The divine sages discovered this light of truth,
Enveloped in darkness,
The Vedas present truth in crystal clear form
(Rig 4.58.4)


God created speech divine
Even living creatures of all species utter it.
May this speech, our wish-yeilding cow,
Universally extolled as granter of gladness,
Food, strength and fame,
Come to us!
(Rig 8.100.11)


May this most gracious and eternal
Life-giving divine speech
Impart extensive knowledge to us.
May it come to all men.
(Rig 10.121.6)

O Lord of Speech, when humans utter
The fird word,
They bring to light that,
Which is most excellent and pure,
And through love they discover
The secret deep in their hearts

When men discover the essence of the language
with wisdom,
As if winnowing paddy through a seive
Friends start acknowleding love,
The sign of friendship.
And their talk retains the sentiments
Expressed through it.
(Rig 10.71.1-2)

There are men who may see with eyes.
But do they do not see the source of divine speech.
There are men who hear but have no ability
to understand the deeper meaning of divine words.
But there are pious sages to whom the Goddess of
speech reveals her lovely form.

These words tell about a man,
too cold in friendship,
Who is never moved to act courageously,
And who is ever engrossed in his futile imaginings,
The word he hears never yeilds fruit or flower

They tell all wise things to the ones who deserve
friendship
Though it was experienced till the end by both.
They do not take advantage of words,
Even though they talk or listen to each other in vain,
For they understand nothing the words tell

When the wise jointly chant hymns,
Fashioned by the heart and inspired by the mind,
They all speak the same words.
But in attainment, some are far behind others,
though all are equal in status.

Those who move neither forward or backwards
Neither are they the wise nor performers of sacred deeds
They are poor craftsman misusing words,
Ignorant, they spin out a useless thread for themselves.
(Rig 10.71.4-9)

 

[Surya Deva]

I will provide a commentary on the hymns in order of their appearance:

1) This hymn is a prayer to inspiration, praying for inspiration to be always with us and in all our efforts. So that our efforts may always be inspired. When our efforts are inspired we are protected by divinity and from divinely inspired efforts arises divine culture.

2) This hymn states that the Risis(the Vedic seers) had discovered the truth after being inspired by divinity itself and wrote it down in a clear from in the Vedas.

3) This hymn says that the divine speech is created by god itself and this speech is spoken by all creatures, this is not referring to just vocal speech, but referring to the language of thoughts and feelings that is indeed within all creatures. It ends with a prayer that may we be divinely inspired, because only through divine inspiration can we fulfil all our wishes.

4) Here the hymn is declaring that speech itself is what bestows life upon us. Speech in its purest form is thought and feeling, and that indeed is the essence of life. When we clear our thoughts and feelings by becoming divinely inspired the life within us burns brighter. The Hymn ends by praying that this inspiration and wisdom comes to everybody.

5) The hymns reveals a profound secret to gaining divine inspiration. It says that when we utter the first word, it is then we discover that which is most pure and supreme. That first word is 'I' which is the supreme subject of all predicates. It is when we contemplate and meditate on this 'I' does divine inspiration flow. When that divine inspiration comes our speech is divine, and when our speech is divine, do we kindle the hearts of others and gain true friendships.

6) The hymn addresses those people who are not inspired by the divine. It calls them blind, deaf and ignorant. They are engrossed in their own imaginings, rather than engrossed in their true self. To them Sarasvati(divine speech) does not reveal herself and thus they cannot taste the divine nectar(Soma) They do not have noble thoughts and nor are their actions noble. Although they may appear to listen, in fact they are not listening at all; although they appear to be educated, in fact they are not educated at all. These people satisfy themselves by engaging in meaningless gossip, speculations, but their words are bereft of divine grace and thus their words yeild no fruits.

Then the hymn tell us of people who are inspired and speak the same words, but distinguishes those who are more graced by divinity from those who are less graced by divinity. It maybe that two people say the same wise things such as, "all is love" but simply saying the words does not mean one has lived that meaning. In the end they who have actually experienced divinity have divinity in their words, as opposed to those who are just parroting what the wise say.

Overall: The Veda teachs us here to be honest and trueful in our speech. It must be in consonance with ourselves. The more we are honest with ourselves, the more inspiration begins to flow, and the closer we come to realising ourselves. As this happens, our speech by itself becomes divine, sweeter and affectionate and has the power to affect others and the world. Here the foundation is laid for the doctrine of 'Right Speech' in Yoga and Buddhism.

 

[zenzero]

Friend Suraj,
Thank you again for continuing with the verses from the vedas along with your interpretations.
Satsang is important and when that sat sangh is more focused like this, we grow more in that awareness/conciousness.
Do continue.
Love & rgds

 

[Hema]

Great job Suraj! Ah, the Nasadiya Sukta. It is said that the Nasadiya Sukta describes what scientists now call the "Big Bang."

 

[want to be hindu]

My friend,

When you quote from the Vedas and call her Sarasvati, you are saying that Vak and Sarasvati are the same. To names same Devi.


Jai Maa:bow:

 

[Surya Deva]

Yes Vak and Sarasvati are the same. Vak means expression/speech and Sarvasti means the flowing one.

 

[want to be hindu]

The Chandi Path is said to be a commentary on two Vaidika hymns The Ratri Sukta and my favorite hymn from the Rg Veda the Devi Suktam.



The Devi Suktam was given to us Humans by a Woman Rsi or great sage. This Rsi was a knower of Brahman. She identifyed herself as the Goddess Vak the Goddess of speech who today we call Sarasvati. Some scholars say that this hymn may go back to the neolithic. Who knows ? I find this hymn so inspirational . That 1000's and 1000's of years ago a female could realize God through her sadhana and sing this hymn. Today a simple man like my self can read it and know that I too with the grace of God can realize this truth.



I got this translation from this web site

Devi Sooktam - Translation

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[FONT=Arial,HELVETICA]Devi Sooktam:[/FONT][FONT=Arial,HELVETICA] [/FONT][FONT=Arial,HELVETICA] (Part of Rig Veda 10.8.125- a.k.a. - Rig Vediya Devi Sooktam)[/FONT]

Verse I:
Om ! I move along with the Rudras, Vasus, Adithas and all other Devas. I bear the Mithra, Varuna, Indra, Agni and the two Ashwini Devas.
Verse II:
I bear the Soman who is the destroyer of enemies and the Twashta, Bushan and Bagan. I give wealth to the performer of the Yajna or Sacrifice who submits sacrificial things in the Yajna, who pours the Soma rasa, and who makes the Devas receive the Havis or their due of the Sacrifice.
Verse III:
I am the Queen of the Universe; I give wealth to those who worship me. I am the all-knowing one and the prime one among the worshippable deities. I enter many bodies as the Atma, taking various forms and with different manifestations, in various ways. Hence, the Devas have incorporated me in various places.
Verse IV:
That one who eats food, who sees, breathes, and hears whatever is said, he does all that only through me (my powers). Those who do not understand me, die. O dear one ! (to the worshipper or devotee), hear this singing of mine with concentration.
Verse V:
"All these are me (and various manifestations of mine). I am the one worshipped by the Devas and the earthly beings. If I like someone (for his meditation towards me), I make him the greatest, the most intelligent as a Sage, and as a Self-Realised soul.
Verse VI:
I bend the bow of the Rudra to kill all those enemies who detest all good things. I fight these bad elements / enemies only for the people. I enter, pervade and persist throughout the earth and the sky.
Verse VII:
I created the sky, which is (as a shelter) above the earth and which is fatherly for all beings. My creativity (power) is within the Ocean and waters. By that, I am present in all the worlds. And I touch the sky with my body
Verse VIII:
When I start creating all the worlds, I function like the air (so fast in the function). I am taller and higher than the Sky. I am greater than this earth. Such is my valor, might, prowess and greatness."

OM! Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:


Jai Maa:bow:
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