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Sunday, November 15, 2015

Rigveda: Celebration of life, Pursuit of excellence

Rigveda: Celebration of life, Pursuit of excellence

इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न ।
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥७॥ (nasdia sukta -Rigveda)

 “he is a wise man , he has read the Vedas”, it was one of those lines by my grandfather in appreciation of someone very learned that put the desire in me probably for the first time to read and understand the Vedas. Years later when I first took a Hindi translation of the book(rig veda) various thoughts passed my mind; I had some kind of imagery in my mind about the Vedas. What lied in Vedas was a mystery, Vedas have been the source of wisdom for ages; they are the foundation of India’s spiritual wealth throughout millennia’s. Right from Indian gurus like Vivekananda, Aurobindo or dayand Sarasvati in recent times to religious text like Gita , Ramayana and Upanishads all have their roots in the Vedas. It was therefore an assumption before picking up the text that it would be a fountain of spiritualism, just like Gita which in a breath establishes the principal of karma without worrying for the results there was one big message that I was looking in the Vedas. To prepare the ground I did read some of the commentaries by Aurobindo where he attempts to find higher philosophical and spiritual meanings in the hymns of the Vedas or Tilak who tries to find out geographical origins of the Aryan people who composed Rigveda. There were other questions in my mind the answers to which I was looking ahead to find in the Vedas questions regarding the origins of the trinity of the Hindu pantheon ,regarding the mention of animals , geography ,rivers, castes , tribes , kind of spiritualism ( idol worship , nature worship , dualism etc. etc.).
The journey of reading the book continued for almost 4-5 months, though it is not that voluminous however with the limited time I used to get, the numerous stories with each passing hymn and the thoughts that the book used to leave me throughout the day it was worth to go slow and ruminate on each thought invoked by the RigVeda. The book started with invoking the Agni and then story of Indra and vriata started. It took me a couple of hundred pages to realize that the most talked about god in Rigveda was not going to be lord Vishnu or Shiva but it was rather Indra. It has since then puzzled me why and how Indra lost the place he had in Rigveda’s to the trinity of brahma Vishnu and Mahesh.

The conundrum

As I progressed on my reading I must accept I rather started growing a bit uncomfortable .Vedas presented a challenge before me ,some may think it might have been the complexity of Vedas which challenged me unfortunately that was not the case it was rather the simplicity of the text which took me by surprise. The most important text of Hinduism didn’t talk the language of asceticism renunciation and spiritualism that I had grown up hearing. It rather talked of such simple things of life that it made me uneasy if it was indeed simple or was I missing something. To find the answers I went back to Aurobindo and he started making more sense. He had put it precisely what I was going through in my mind. In the opening remarks of his book “The secret of vedas” he starts with the following

“Is THERE at all or is there still a secret of the Veda? According to current conceptions the heart of that ancient mystery has been plucked out and revealed to the gaze of all, or rather no real secret ever existed. The hymns of the Veda are the sacrificial compositions of a primitive and still barbarous race written around a system of ceremonial and propitiatory
rites, addressed to personified Powers of Nature and replete with a confused mass of half-formed myth and crude astronomical allegories yet in the making. Only in the later hymns
do we perceive the first appearance of deeper psychological and
moral ideas”

It was the kungfu panda moment for me, where the secret recipe was actually no secret at all. I went back to Aurobindo and it made a little more sense, that the cows and horses ghrat (ghee) described in a text described almost 5000 years ago just did not literally meant objects as we know now but they had rather philosophical meaning. It took me some more distance ahead with my reading but the doubt remained. However it comforted me that I was not the only one challenged by the simplicity of the Vedas but the Vedas have always presented this challenge to everyone who has tried to peek into the wisdom from antiquity. It is no surprise that the earliest translations of RigVeda done by Sayana in around 1300 where the interpretation of Vedas were done with more inclination towards the ceremonial aspects, centuries later Aurobindo while he appreciated the efforts of sayana to preserve the text he strongly criticized him for the literal, incoherent translation and the narrow sense to which he had reduced the Vedas

 “..the central defect of Sayana’s system that he is obsessed always by the ritualistic formula and seeks continually to force the sense of the Veda into that narrow mould. So he loses many clues of the greatest suggestiveness and importance for the external sense of the ancient Scripture,—a problem quite as interesting as its internal sense. The outcome is a representation of the Rishis, their thoughts, their culture, their aspirations, so narrow and poverty-stricken that, if accepted, it renders the ancient reverence for the Veda, its sacred authority, its divine reputation quite incomprehensible to the reason or only explicable as a blind and unquestioning tradition of faith starting from an original error.

Aurobindo criticized the philosophical meanings which sayana took away from his translation even though Sayana admitted that earlier such meanings existed (“multi-significance of roots ) and gave multiple interpretations of the same hymns in his original composition, however if we go deep Aurobindo rather seemed to be uncomfortable with the materialistic aspect of the Vedas  presented by Sayana. As he puts down at another place

But if we accept the current interpretations, whether Sayana’s or the modern theory(translations by European scholars), the whole of this sublime and sacred reputation is a colossal fiction. The hymns are, on the contrary, nothing more than the naive superstitious fancies of untaught and materialistic barbarians concerned only with the most external gains and enjoyments and ignorant of all but the most elementary moral notions or religious aspirations.

Aurobindo interpretation were much nearer to Swami dayanad Sarasvati however even they differed considerably in their interpretations of the Vedas.He puts it down eloquently

“Dayananda’s interpretation of the hymns is governed by the idea that the Vedas are a plenary revelation of religious, ethical and scientific truth. Its religious teaching is monotheistic and the
Vedic gods are different descriptive names of the one Deity; they are at the same time indications of His powers as we see them working in Nature and by a true understanding of the sense of the Vedas we could arrive at all the scientific truths which have been discovered by modern research. Such a theory is, obviously, difficult to establish. The Rigveda itself, indeed, asserts that the gods are only different names and expressions of one universal Being who in His own reality transcends the universe; but from the language of the hymns we are compelled to perceive in the gods not only different names, but also different forms, powers and personalities of the one Deva. The monotheism of the Veda includes in itself also the monistic, pantheistic and even polytheistic views of the cosmos and is by no means the trenchant and simple creed of modern Theism. It is only by a violent struggle with the text that we can
force on it a less complex aspect.

While Aurobindo had his points, Aurobindo’s argument that everything in Vedas is just limited to spirituality was again reducing Rigveda’s to just one sense. In fact Aurobindo criticism of sayana is not entirely correct. Sayana’s commentary on Vedas is not just the only complete work of translation of Rigveda but also Sayana identified the multiple roots of words and also provided multiple inferences of the same hymns (gothic, spiritual etc) wherever he could identify. However on the other side Rigveda does not even seems to be rooted in ritualistic formula and ceremonies as emphasized by Sayana.

The revelation

It started to puzzle me why did the interpretation of Vedas were so different by different people. Why did sages who wrote hymns on creation of universe, cosmology (e.g. nasdia sukta) and spirituality in the later part of Rigveda which leaves the reader mesmerized were so simple in their composition towards the start of the Vedas. Was it the result of chronology where the hymns with more thoughts were created later but even if it was true why was it allowed to stay a part of the whole work for thousands of years, what was the message that the sages wanted to pass to the generations who may be reading it many thousand years after they composed them? Did that happened by chance?

Quite unlikely, as the bus I used to take for office passed through the snow laden roads and as winter slowly started to make way for summer my mind started wondering if it was intentional. Any interpretation of Vedas will always have this battle of taking the literal meaning against taking the philosophical and spiritual meaning. If we take it literally then Rigveda mention some of the most amazing technological and medical science advancements which sweep the readers off his feet. If however we derive a spiritual and philosophical meaning then it destroys the argument that it was primitive or ritualistic, it starts to makes more sense .However going one way to read it does not hold well enough for the whole text. I therefore decided to read it as it is mentioned, try to look for an inference with much more sophisticated thoughts but if I can’t find one read it as it is. Somehow just like all others before me who arrived at a meaning which had a lot of commonality yet they held different meanings I too arrived at a sense of Rigveda’s which had something from everyone before me who had written their commentary on it and yet it contained a message so fresh and so contemporary it left me wiser.


Celebration of life

It was the celebration of life Hymns after hymns that started making a connect with me , the emphasis on rationality ,the culture of questioning ,the focus on scientific temper and the pride it took in the accomplishments of the human race.

सोमानं सवरणं कर्णुहि बरह्मणस पते | कक्षीवन्तं याुशिजः || 
O BRAHMANAPSATI, make him who presses Soma glorious,
Like Kaksivan Ausija.
यो रेवान यो अमीवहा वसुवित पुष्टिवर्धनः |  नः सिषक्तु यस्तुरः || 
2 The rich, the healer of disease, who giveth wealth, increaseth store,
The prompt,-may he be with us still.
मा नः शंसो अररुषो धूर्तिः परणं मर्त्यस्य | रक्षा णो बरह्मणस पते || 
3 Let not the foeman's curse, let not a mortal's onslaught fall on us
Preserve us, Brahmanaspati. (Hymn 18)
तद राधो अद्य सवितुर्वरेण्यं वयं देवस्य परसवे मनामहे | 
अस्मभ्यं दयावाप्र्थिवी सुचेतुना रयिं धत्तं वसुमन्तं शतग्विनम ||
5 This is to-day the goodliest gift of Savitar: this thought we have when now the God is furthering us.On us with loving-kindness Heaven and Earth bestow riches and various wealth and treasure hundredfold! (Hymn 159)

Such thoughts mentioned above where rishis made prayers for wellbeing are not few in fact Rigveda is replete with such hymns. The same hymns which initially looked primitive started to make connect with me. It was the desire of life the desire to live happily the desire to be safe , the desire to grow, the desire to progress, the desire to earn wealth, the desire to be healthy that made a connect with me. It is written in a language so simple and yet does not bind itself to one fixed meaning. Rigveda did not romanticize poverty though it urged you to help others. It touch every aspect of human life and the rishis take pride in their accomplishments and how those accomplishments ,discoveries or inventions made life easy for them at that time. From hyms on gravity and speed of light to hyms on how the sun has kept the earth and other planets of the solar system Rigveda touched every aspect of life at that time from the cycle of birth and death, cosmology, science, governance, astronomy, creation of universe, gods, medical science, married life, human relationships etc. If Rigveda would have been written today it definitely would had mentioned the great achievements we have made in the field of science, space, nuclear, digital, and cloning and other areas.

Achievements of the Ashvinikumars

युवं चयवानमश्विना जरन्तं पुनर्युवानं चक्रथुः शचीभिः | युवो रथं दुहिता सूर्यस्य सह शरिया नासत्याव्र्णीत || 
13 Ye with the aid of your great powers, O Asvins, restored to youth the ancient man
Cyavana.The Daughter of the Sun with all her glory, O ye Nasatyas, chose your car to bear her.(hymn 117)

जुजुरुषो नासत्योत वव्रिं परामुञ्चतं दरापिमिव चयवानात | 
परातिरतं जहितस्यायुर्दस्रादित पतिमक्र्णुतं कनीनाम || 
10 Ye from the old Cyavana, O Nasatyas, stripped, as 'twere mail, the skin upon
his body,Lengthened his life(restored to youth the ancient man) when all had left him helpless, Dasras! and made him lord of youthful maidens.

अजोहवीन नासत्या करा वां महे यामन पुरुभुजा पुरन्धिः | 
शरुतं तच्छासुरिव वध्रिमत्या हिरण्यहस्तमश्विनावदत्तम || 
13 In the great rite the wise dame called, Nasatyas, you, Lords of many treasures, to assist
her.Ye heard the weakling's wife, as 'twere an order, and gave to her a son Hiranyahasta.

आस्नो वर्कस्य वर्तिकामभीके युवं नरा नासत्यामुमुक्तम | 
उतो कविं पुरुभुजा युवं कर्पमाणमक्र्णुतं विचक्षे || 
14 Ye from the wolf's jaws, as ye stood together, set free the quail, O Heroes, O
Nasatyas.Ye, Lords of many treasures, gave the poet his perfect vision as he mourned his trouble.

चरित्रं हि वेरिवाछेदि पर्णमाजा खेलस्य परितक्म्यायाम | 
सद्यो जङघामायसीं विश्पलायै धने हिते सर्तवेप्रत्यधत्तम || 
15 When in the time of night, in Khela's battle, a leg was severed like a wild bird's pinion,
Straight ye gave Vispali a leg of iron that she might move what time the conflict opened.

शतं मेषान वर्क्ये चक्षदानं रज्राश्वं तं पितान्धंचकार | 
तस्मा अक्षी नासत्या विचक्ष आधत्तं दस्रा भिषजावनर्वन || 
16 His father robbed Rjrasva of his eyesight who for the she-wolf slew a hundred
wethers.Ye gave him eyes, Nasatyas, Wonder-Workers, Physicians, that he saw with sight
uninjured. (hymn 116)


It is interesting to see how “ Ashvinikumars” one of the most revered figures are described in Rigveda. Their achievements on creating artificial limbs, restoring youth, curing blindness and many more such hymns symbolize the focus Vedic times had on the pursuit of human excellence, though they (ashvinis) can also be symbolized as the shining of sunrise and sunset (and that’s the challenge as when do we take the literal sense and when do we switch to the symbolic and the philosophical/spiritual meaning).

Spirit of skeptical inquiry, rationality and a contemporary world

We have often heard that religion encourages blind faith and discourages the spirit of reasoning questioning and critical analysis and somewhere I thought that this view had a valid point. But this whole thought of mine was bulldozed and I was left speechless by the famous nasdiya sukta, while the scholars from the world over have been spellbound by the way the creation of the universe has been defined in this was so exact in description to the famous big bang theory I was amazed what it said in the end. I am putting here its first two lines where it starts to delve the creation of the universe but it is the last para which left me spellbound.

First two lines
नासदासीन्नो सदासीत्तदानीं नासीद्रजो नो व्योमा परो यत् ।
किमावरीवः कुह कस्य शर्मन्नम्भः किमासीद्गहनं गभीरम् ॥ १॥
Then even nothingness was not, nor existence,
There was no air then, nor the heavens beyond it.
What covered it? Where was it? In whose keeping?
Was there then cosmic water, in depths unfathomed?
Last para
को अद्धा वेद क इह प्र वोचत्कुत आजाता कुत इयं विसृष्टिः ।
अर्वाग्देवा अस्य विसर्जनेनाथा को वेद यत आबभूव ॥६॥
But, after all, who knows, and who can say
Whence it all came, and how creation happened?
the gods themselves are later than creation,
so who knows truly whence it has arisen?
इयं विसृष्टिर्यत आबभूव यदि वा दधे यदि वा न ।
यो अस्याध्यक्षः परमे व्योमन्त्सो अङ्ग वेद यदि वा न वेद ॥७॥
Whence all creation had its origin,
he, whether he fashioned it or whether he did not,
he, who surveys it all from highest heaven,
he knows - or maybe even he does not know.[9]

The nature of the skeptical inquiry and questioning that we witness here in the last two lines where the
Rishis even raise doubts on whether even the gods know or not know all the answers were simply just too overwhelming for me but it was not the only place in Rigveda where even gods are put under the boundaries of reasoning and questioning. It has since then liberated me and propelled me to think that there are no limits to the horizon of the human thoughts and accomplishments and human race is meant to go on conquer as far and wide as we allow us to think and the fountain of highest thoughts in hindu religion does not put any chains in that instead it facilitates it. The Rigveda breaks all conventional thoughts which we usually associate with the religion, from women rishis who have composed different hymns in Rigveda to the equality of women in education, their right to choose their groom for marriage (swamwar) ,widow remarriage , the composition of hymn by a supposedly rishi belonging to shudra caste , the election of the president by people, the majority of thoughts mentioned in rigveda are far more superior to the contemporary world we live in.

The question is whether this very contemporary interpretation of Rigveda is correct on my behalf. Because it was exactly this what Aurobindo resented and yet I did not find it objectionable in any manner. Why should life not be celebrated? Why should be leading a happy and prosperous life be a taboo for god. I did not saw any of those objections in Rigveda. But it is also true that your meaning from Rigveda’s can be very different from mine ,as the rishis have said “it reveals itself to the seeker “. But as I look closer I find more and more evidence on what I have felt. I see the same fundamental message when I look at the stories of Krishna and his message of karma where the focus was on man and his actions and not of some divine help and see the same celebration of life in colors of holi and lights of deepawali. Was this one of the reasons for the fall of Indra as somewhere Indra has become a symbol of divine intervention and symbolic of rituals and traditions something which was corrected by internal corrective mechanism of the religion in the story of goverdhan and Krishna where Krishna discards old tradition of offerings to Indra. The same message was repeated when Krishna does not fights Mahabharata on his own but just act as a guiding force. And same was his message to Bhsima and Drona who continued to stay stuck with traditions even when confronted with choice between dharma and adharma. As someone said “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom.” The yogis understood it long back and left us a treasure where freedom was not limited to just physical occupation but where freedom was meant to liberate you of any limitations in thoughts as well as in being. And they wrote a text which was relevant in their times but still open enough to be interpreted and reinterpreted again and again and in that effort they made it immortal.