Vedas .. an Introduction - II

The whole structure of the Veda and other sacred texts of Sanatan Dharma need elaboration.

Many people are of the wrong opinion that the basis of Hinduism is Bhagavat Gita. It is not wrong – but it is not entirely right either. Just because Christians have Bible and Jews have the Torah – the westerners assumed that Hinduism also has a book as it's basis. Since the holy Bhagavat Gita is the widely studied treatise, it has come to represent Hinduism and it’s philosophy. Few people know that it is an extract from the voluminous Mahabharata – the same treatise also gave us the powerful and holy Vishnu and Siva sahasranama stortams.

Veda (root word vid – knowledge) is one and eternal. All Vedic mantras have 3 properties – Rk, Yajus and Sama. Rk is the actual mantra itself, Sama is the diction (swaram) and Yajus is the kriya or action that follows. Hence, in many hymns (stotras and suktas), the word ‘trayee’ is used to denote the entire Vedic science. Misnomer spread when the half-knowledged translators like Max Muller misunderstood and wrongly spread the word that there are three original Vedas (Rg, Yajur and Sama) and the Atharvana Veda is an addition to it! Towards the end of Dwapara Yuga, Maharshi Veda Vyas foresaw the approach of the dark ages or Kali Yuga and decided to help humanity. With his Yogic powers he saw that in Kali Yuga, the life span, intellectual attainments, purity levels and morals at an individual and societal level will be on a decline. Hence, to suit the life spans of this Age, he divided the Veda into 4 – Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana.

Veda forms the basis of Sanatana Dharma. Taking Veda as basis and support came forth the Smriti, Sruti, Purana and Itihaasa. Together, they form the basis of Sanatna Dharma.

Sruti (literally ‘that which was heard’) was a revelation by sound. It is essentially a literature of chant and recitation. For millennia, the hymns were transmitted by the Brahmin priests and were not written down. Sruti part of the Vedas also includes Tantra and other texts.

Smriti (remember, memory) deals with those aspects of Dharma form Veda that we humans are required to put into practice in our daily lives. Since, these texts did a ‘smarana’ or ‘recounted in detail’ what was in Vedas – they came to be known as Smriti. Dharma sastras are part of Smriti.

Puranas were and are a part of the Veda. Sage Vyasa in all his kindness and concern reorganized the Puranic knowledge in the Veda into 18 Mahapuranas (a separate article in found in this blog). Later on came the Itihaasa (historical accounts) which deal with the stories of those great individuals in various timelines who adhered to Sanatana Dharma and show us the way to practically implement the lofty ideals preached by the above texts and thus weave the concept of God, Dharma and Satya into our daily thoughts and actions. Ramayana and Mahabharata explain the aspects of  Dharma that are embedded in Vedas and hence part of it. The famous Sloka goes - itihasa puranabhyam vedam samupabrmhayet (The Vedic knowledge should be expounded in the light of Itihaasas and Puranas).

All the above together comprise the core texts of Sanatana Dharma. In these are contained those truths of the cosmos that will pave way for enlightenment. The next time when one faces a question as to what forms the basis of Sanatana Dharma - let us answer confidently and with pride that we belong to the oldest and most thorough of religions. Every Hindu should know this and in ones lifetime make an endeavor to stury our sacred scriptures with an intention of executing the Dharma sutras therein! Om Namah Sivaya!

Puranas

  The Puranas existed eternally just as the Veda. Brahma Rishi Krishna Dwaipayana reorganized the entire Vedic knowledge at the behest of Sri Krishna and handed it over to the people of Kali Age endowed with short life spans and limited intellectual qualities. Thus, he came to be known as Veda Vyasa. he is one of the foremost Rishis who handed over Hinduism that survived the Dark Ages and is in it's current form. It is the duty of every Hindu to pay obeisance to him in the morning. 

  Puranas are not contradictory to Veda or Upanishads. In fact, what Veda tells in terse mantras, Puranas narrate them in greater detail. As per Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Puranas and Itihasam together are called as the Fifth Veda (Panchama Veda). The content of all the 18 Mahapuranas can be briefly explained under the following headings -

1. Sarga: the creation of the universe.
2. Pratisarga: secondary creations, mostly recreations after dissolution.
3. Vamśa: genealogy of the gods and sages.
4. Manvañtara: the creation of the human race and the first human beings. 
5. Vamśānucaritam: the histories of the patriarchs of the lunar and solar dynasties.

The noble sage composed the following mantra to remember the names of the 18 Mahapuranas. It is as follows - 

'ma' dvayam 'Bha' dvayam chaiva 'Bhra' trayam 'va' chatustayam,

'a na pa lin ga ku ska' ni Puranani pruthak pruthak

'Ma'        Matsya, Markandeya

'Bha'       Bhavishya, Bhagawata

'Bhra'      Brahma, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta

'Va'        Varaha, Vamana, Vishnu, Vayu

'A'          Agni

'Na'        Narada

'Pa'        Padma

'Lin'        Linga

'Ga'        Garuda

'Ku'        Kurma

'Ska'      Skanda

  The later age sages also added heavily to the compilation of Sage Veda Vyasa and enlarged the Puranas. The greater text is referred to as Mahapurana. For example: Garuda Puranam is considered to be of 19,000 Verses however the Garuda Mahapuranam is a total of 314 Kandas with major division of Aachara Kanda (243 Kaandas), Dharma Kaanda (42 Kaandas) and Brahma Kaanda (29 Kaandas). The 19,000 verses form part of the Dharma Kaanda and is considered especially auspicious when recited during the 10 day period following someones demise. 

  The Puranas are a vast treasure house of knowledge and should be studied an understood by all Hindus. Any myth stating that they shouldn't be read at all times, not be kept in house etc. are unscientific and without the approval of Dharma Sastras and hence must be cut down. These are related to knowledge and way of life in order to attain the Supreme and hence should be studied always with Shraddha (faith and obedience to Vedic dictums).

The 'Shan-mata' - '6 Systems of worship'

    Hinduism propogates the "Shan-mata" - or 6 systems of worship to reach the Divine as originally laid down in the Eternal Vedas. Veda Vyasa , in order to bring this truth and knowledge to the masses, authored the Puranas. Out of his benevolence and love for humanity, he brought forth the Puranas that contains tales of yore which have the subtle aspects as well as the gross aspects of "Shan-mata", Methods of worship and Dharma and it's elaboration among others. Sri Adi Shankharacharya - the Great Reorganizer - resetablished this grand concept and laid down rules to perpetuate them. He was instrumental in establishing the 4 Maths and entrusting them to protect the Hindu way of worship and life.

  
   The "Shan-mata" or the 6 Systems are as follows -

1. Saiva - System of worship and belief where Lord Shiva is considered the ultimate form of God
2. Vaishnava - System of worship and belief where Lord Narayana is considered the ultimate form of God
3. Sakteya - System of worship and belief where Shakti is considered the ultimate form of God
4. Ganapathya - System of worship and belief where Lord Ganesha is considered the ultimate form of God
5. Skanda - System of worship and belief where Lord Subhramanya is considered the ultimate form of God
6. Saura - System of worship and belief where Lord Surya is considered the ultimate form of God

India's Spiritual supremacy

The spiritual aura that envelopes India is not without a reason. Our grand nation had been and still is the home to moral giants. No other nation in its history ever produced sons and daughters who not only sacrificed their pleasures and life for upholding what they call Dharma. Unfortunately, Dharma has no english equivalent - since no other race could delve into the depth of human mysteries so deep as the Hindu mind.

On the world stage India occupies a high position as a teacher of science of the soul. The rishis and munis who by their utter penance and devotion attained the state of transedence realised that man in his natural course would never be able to surass the high wall of Maya and will remain forever lost in it. They understood in entirety that nature is the best teacher and when man respects nature and follows natures laws - he naturally evolves to a state of Self-realisation.

Thus came about the Dharma sastras- which lay down the codes for men to follow. Animals do not need Sastras since they can never dominate or disobey nature. Man is given "intelligence" - he can either influence the world positively or destroy it completely. To tame this intelligence and will power and to lead it in the right direction - Sastras have been given to mankind.

Realising the importance of always following Dharma and remembering the divine daily - the Rishis subtley incorporated the mysteries of the divine into activities that we daily perform. Hence, every custom that we follow has sound logic and grace of the divine messengers - Rishis !

This brings us back to the topic that no other country has been endowed with this wisdom. Hence, India is the spiritual teacher to the world. This by no means discounts other religions or practices in other countries. In a house there are many rooms, but only one puja-room. Similarly in the world house, Bharatvarsha is the Puja-room. Due to millenia of spiritual practices, this cuntry has reached such a state where spiritual practices yield results faster.  This point has been very clearly stated in our epics especially The Mahabharata - where gods composed hymns for Bharatvarsha stating that there is something special in our Land and animals.

An outsider to our nation may disagree - let him! But we as Indians should be proud of this fact. Our every activity should be aligned to Dharma.

I shall end it with a quote from Ramayana. Post Lanka war - Vibheeshana (ravana's younger brother) prays to Sri Rama that he rule the mighty kingdom. Sri Rama's reply - "Janani Janma Bhumishcha swargadapi gariyasi" = "Mother and motherland is geater than heaven" !!

May this sentiment sink into every Indian's bosom !!

Vedas .. an introduction

   The holy Vedas are of divine origin - hence referred to as 'Apourusheyam'. The attempts to date them will not succeed as they are eternal and timeless as the spirit itself. The root word is 'Vid' or knowledge. The Vedas form the essence of creation and hence Vedic knowledge is knowledge about creation, sustenance and destruction - everything we ever need. It is an misnoma to think that Vedas deal with a bunch of moral codes. Since Vedas were used in the creation - everything about the Creator and Created are dealt with in the Vedas.

   Just as there is a visible and tangible universe before us - there is also an invisible intangible universe (sabda jagat). The knowledge and truth about this formless and eternal universe of 'sound' are what are called as Vedas. There were revealed to the holy sages of Bharat in a manner called mantras. Hence, mantras are not composed or created, but realised and discovered in deep meditation. The Rishi to whom a particular mantra is attributed - is called a Drashta (literally one who saw). In deep samadhi state the Rishi withdraws his mind from his 5 senses and perceives the truth that is beyond senses - soul. All Bharatiya Vidya (Indian Sciences) were evolved from the Vedas that the Rishis brought to us through divine will. The word Rishi is explained in the Vedic dictionary (Nirukta) as 'Rushati Gacchati' - 'Traveller on the road to Truth' or ''one who experiences the truth beyond senses'.

   Brahma Rishi Veda Vyasa foresaw towards the end of the Dwapara Yuga that in the Age of Kali lesser minds will prevail - the minds less bound by parameters of Dharma, Satya, discipline, learning, lifespan etc. Hence, out of his own love and duty apart from the orders of Sri Krishna reorganized the Vedic knowledge into 4 branches - Rig, Yajus, Sama and Atharva. In the days that followed, more of this hoary knowledge and texts are lost than retained. Whatever is left of modern day Hinduism with all it's allied sciences and branches of knowledge is directly due to the work of two great re-organisors of all time - Rishi Veda Vyasa and Sri Sankhara Acharya. These are the noble souls every Hindu ought to remember the first thing in the morning.

   Thus, the Vedas form the basis of Sanatana Dharma (or what later came to be called by westerners as Hindusim). Any Holy text will and shall have its origin in the eternal Vedic truths - if not it is washed away gradually as did Jainism and Buddiam which went against basic Dharmic tenets of Yagya sanskruti and Swadharma. Taking the Vedas as their foundation the structures of Sruti, Smriti and Purana came about. Hence, the sloka says
"Sruti Smriti Puranaanam Aalayam Karunaalayam". Thus, Vedas along with Smriti (Dharma Sastras) and Puranas (18) form the basis of Hinduism. Vedic Dictums are like a king talking to his subjects - precise and terse. Hence, the Veda Vakhyas are referred to as "prabhu Sammitam". The lofty Dharmas brought propounded by the Vedas are narrated in a frinedly style by the Puranas (only the language and style of preaching changes but not the essence) and in a loving style by the Kavyas (Ramayana and Mahabharatam). The archaic sanskrit used by the Veda is so tough to understand that many have done injustice in their attempts to translate just the words and not the soul and inner message of it. In order to translate the Vedas, bringing out a wholesome and intended meaning, knowledge of the following branches is essential - 

1. Siksha

2. Vyakarana

3. Jyotisha

4. Chhandas

5. Nirukta
6. Kalpa

It is also true to say that the complete purport of the Vedic truths will enlighten us when we not only understand the language but also follow the way of life as prescribed to us.