Vedas

Vedas

There has to be something that answers all the riddles of life. Something deeper than religion, deeper than following without understanding teachings of men considered by their followers to have special access to God. There has to be a way to breakdown the veil that limits our understanding of the mysteries of creation. There has to be a way forward to reach the final understanding, an explanation of everything, a totality of all experiences.

That something, an explanation of everything, a totality of all experiences, are the Vedas. The Vedas are ancient books documenting experiments made, through hundreds or thousands of years, into the creation of the universe and the basis of life. These experiments are as relevant now, as they were in the past and will be in the future.The Vedic system has no founder, no one person who is the author. It is a collection of experiences and thoughts of several men and women who are unidentified. It unravels the final questions of life. It aims at reaching a final state of experience and understanding beyond which nothing is left to be understood, experienced or felt.

1. The word Vedas comes from the sanskrit root 'vid', to know.

2. The work Vedanta comes from the sanskrit roots 'vid' to know + 'anta' end.

3. Hence, Vedas mean 'knowledge' and Vedanta 'end of knowledge.'

Contradiction? No! None at all! Those who named the Vedas intended this contradiction. The Vedas represent the summit of knowledge. Once the Vedas are understood, there is nothing remaining to be known. Hence, we reach the end of knowledge. We max out the use of the mind. The mind is of no use any more, and we cross over into the realm of the spirit.

The Vedas lead us to a final stage in which:

a. All thoughts stop, since we have understood everything

b. All emotions stop, since we have permanent peace.

In all there are four Vedas.

1. Rg Veda: The Rig-veda, the “Veda of Praise,” contains 1,017 hymns, or 10,522 verses, arranged in ten books or mandalas

2. Yajur Veda: The Yajur-veda is the “Veda of Rituals” and contains 1975 verse-mantras in 40 chapters.

3. Sama Veda: The Sama-veda, the “Veda of Melodies,” contains 1549 verses

4. Atharva Veda: The Atharva-veda is the “Veda of Chants”. It is a book of 5977 verses in 20 chapters

Each Veda consists of four parts:

1. the Samhitas - hymns to deities or mantras.

2. the Brahmanas - explanations of mantras; description of rituals or the commentary portion.

3. the Aranyakas - "forest texts" dealing with philosophy.

4. the Upanishads - interpreting the philosophy of the original texts.

Samhitas

The Samhitas contain mantras. The sanskrit word mantra comes from the roots 'manas' (mind) and 'tra' (tool). Hence, literally, mantra means mind tool. However, th connotation of the word 'mantra' is a set of sounds or words that can create transformation. The Samhitas contain such transformational hymns. Ostensibly, these hymns are for worship of nature and Vedic gods. In reality, they are thought capsules that can transform your mind. The Samhitas primarily contain hymns and invocations to be repeated at the time of rituals.

Brahmana

The Brahmana portions guide people to perform sacrificial rites. They are prose explanations of the method of using the Mantras in the Yajna or the sacrifice.

While the Samhitas contain only the invocations, the Brahmanas contain the procedures for performing the rituals.

Aranyaka

The third vedic section is called the Aranyaka. As we progress in spiritual understanding, we begin to feel it is not always necessary to have ceremonies and rituals in order to contemplate god. We begin to feel that even prayers through spoken words are not necessary. The literal meaning of the Vedic mantras seem to lose significance, as one searches for something deeper. We feel the need for quiet, for contemplation. We feel the need for isolation aand meditation. Hence, the word Aranya, forest or secluded area.

Upanishad

Upanishads show us the way to directly contact Brahman, the universal Spirit, through a spark of the same spirit within us. They do not ask us to perform any ritual, speak any word, worship any God, go to any temple, or follow any scripture. They ask us to follow only one light, the light of our inner spirit. They tell us that we need to walk alone on this path. We need to leave all our possessions and relationships behind. The entry into the universal spirit has space only for one. This does not mean we leave the world. It means that in the periods of time during the day when we seek the universal spirit, we need to be abolutely alone.

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Upanishad

There are four Vedas and each Veda has four sections. The section which contains the extreme knowledge is called the Upanishad. It is the analytical portion of the Vedas. The word Upanishad is from Sanskrit and is a synthesis of three words, Upa meaning near, Ni meaning down and Sad meaning sit. The connotation of Upanishad is a statement by the Guru: "Sit Near. Listen to my experiences. Reflect on them. Confirm and expand with your own Experience."

There are around three hundred and fifty Upanishads out of which 108 are well known. Of these, thirteen are prominent.

1. Aitreya

2. Brhadaranyaka

3. Chandogya

4. Isa

5. Isavasya

6. Katha

7. Kaushitaki

8. Kena

9. Mandukya

10. Mundaka

11. Prasna

12. Svetasvatara

13. Taittiriya

The Upanishads can be likened to the raw beauty of nature and not to a manicured garden. The knowledge in them is discontinuous and being so, it stimulates the intellect. However, there is another book, the Brahmasutra, written by Sankara much later, which organizes the thought streams of the Upanishads into sequential order.

The knowledge of the thirteen Upanishads is given in separate tabs on this website.

Upanishads and Vedic Sakaas

Upanishads are found in the concluding sections of the Veda Saakaas and hence are known as Vedanta or the end of the Vedas. There are four Veda Samhitas (Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva). The Yajur Vedam has two Samhitas known as the Krishna and Sukla Yajur Vedas. Hence, One can say that there are 5 Veda Samhitas, if we take into account the 2 Samhitas of Yajur Veda. Each of the 4 Samhitas referred to above has several branches or Saakaas. Each Saaka has a Karma Khanda dealing with the actions to beperformed and is made up of Mantras and Btrahmanaas. Latter deals with Upasana or meditation and has Aranyakas inside them for the benefit of those who have resorted to the quiet habitat of the forest to pursue their spiritual Quest. The Upanishads are found mostly in the Aranyaka section of the Vedas.

The traditional view is that Vysa Bhagavan has classified the four Vedas into 1180 Saakaas and each of these Saakaa is associated with an Upanishad. Hence, One anticipates 1180 Upanishads. According to this view, there must have been 21 Upanishads for the 21 Rg Saakaas, 109 for Yajurveda, 1000 for Sama Veda and 50 for the Atharva Veda. Most of these Saakaas have been lost with the passage of time and we are left with 108 Upanishads today. The breakdown among the 108 Upanishads according to the 5 Veda Samhitas are as follows:

1. Rg Veda : 10

2. Sama Veda :16

3. Atharva Veda: 31

4. Krishna Yajur Veda: 32

5. Sukla Yajur Veda: 19

Sanskrit

The Vedas are written in Sanskrit. When heard, this language seems different in quality from most others

संस्कृत (saṃ-skṛtá, sáṃ-skṛta) Adjective

- put together, constructed, well or completely formed, perfected (Lalit.)

- made ready, prepared, completed, finished (RV. etc.)

- dressed, cooked (as food) (MBh., R., BhP.)

- purified, consecrated, sanctified, hallowed, initiated (ŚBr. etc.)

- refined, adorned, ornamented, polished, highly elaborated (especially applied to highly wrought speech, such as the Sanskrit language, as opposed to the

vernaculars) (Mn., MBh. etc.)

संस्कृत (saṃ-skṛtá, sáṃ-skṛta) Noun

- a language formed according to accurate rules, a regular derivation

http://en.wiktionary.org

Mahavakyas

The Vedas contain “Chatur Maha Vaakyas” – the Four Great Sayings. These are four short sentences which state ONE truth in different ways, and that truth is 'all is Brahman.'

1. ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ (Aitareya Upanishad, 3.1.1 in the Rigveda) - Brahman is pure Consciousness

2. ‘Aham Brahma asmi’ (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.10 in the Sukla Yajurveda) - I am Brahman

3. ‘Tat tvam asi’ (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.15 in the Samaveda) - That thou art

4. ‘Ayam atma Brahma’ (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 in the Atharvaveda) - Indwelling self in every creature is Brahman.

When we have studied all the Vedas and Upanishads, we reach this one conclusion, "all is Brahman."

1. ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ (Aitareya Upanishad, 3.1.1 in the Rigveda) - Brahman is pure Consciousness

This sentence states that all consciousness, wherever and in whomsoever it exists, is the same and is Brahman, the unversal existence. The power to be aware is feature of Brahman; nothing else has the capability to be aware. Awareness is one; it is 'awareness of' that creates distinct pools of awareness. As long as we are just aware, all beings are one. As soon as we become aware of things brought to notice by our senses, we become distinct. Each of us has different things brought to our senses. The unity of pure awareness has been put forth in the Mahavakya. It helps us dissociate ourselves from limited awareness through our senses and merge ourselves in universal awareness.

2. ‘Aham Brahma asmi’ (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.10 in the Sukla Yajurveda) - I am Brahman

This sentence states that 'I am Brahman.' We exist, because we are aware. If we were not aware, we would be like a stone or other inanimate object. We owe our existence to awareness. We become 'aware of' many things during our lifetimes. Our secondary condition is that we are 'aware of' many things. Our primary condition is that we are just aware. If we associate ourselves with the secondary condition, we are subjected to variability of experience. If we stay in our primary condition, we are unchangeing, pure awareness. We are Brahman. The unity of an individual with the universal Brahman has been put forth in the Mahavakya. It expresses the intuitive (not originating from any cause) experience of the seeker, of the oneness of our individual identity with the universal identity, Brahman.

3. ‘Tat tvam asi’ (Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.15 in the Samaveda) - That thou art

Sage Uddalaka repeats this sentence nine to his disciple, Svetakatu, while instructing him the nature of Reality.

a. 'Tat' refers pure Existence, that which exists before creation as well as after creation, that which is without name and form, that which is one.

b. 'Tvam' is that which is innermost inside us, that which is beyond the intellect, mind, and senses. That which, when we progressively describe ourselves, we find unable to describe or go beyond.

c. 'Asi' means 'are.' It represents the union of Tat and Tvam.

The unity of pure Existence and our own existence has been put forth in the Mahavakya. It helps us dissociate ourselves from what we call 'I' and experience our oneness with Brahman.

4. ‘Ayam atma Brahma’ (Mandukya Upanishad 1.2 in the Atharvaveda) - This self is Brahman.

‘Ayam’ means ‘this.’ 'Ayam atma' refers to that which is innermost within us, internal to everything, from the physical body to the identity-sense 'I.' We can desribe ourselves as a particular type of physical body, personality and so on. In doing so, we say 'I am this,' I have this,' etc. In the end, when we have described everything about ourselves, we are left with 'I am.' (This 'I am' is called Ahamkara in the Vedas, closest english word being ego). That which is beyond 'I am,' the state in which we lose our 'I am' identity, is what is referred to by 'Ayam atma.' This atma is the same as Brahman, which is the substance from which all things are made, the physical level which cannot be further sub-divided, the emotional level which does not have a cause. This atma is the same as Brahman, which fills all space and is universal, which is beyond the grasp of sense organs inlcuding the mind. The unity of our self (Atman) and Brahman (universal existence) has been put forth in the Mahavakya. It expresses the intuitive (not originating from any cause) experience of the seeker, of the oneness of our individual soul 'atma' with the universal soul, 'Brahman.'

Para and Apara Vidya

The great tradition of the transmission of knowledge thru AchArya Mukham is recorded in Mundaka Upanishad as a conversation between BrahmA, the creator and his eldest son, AtharvA about the knowledge of BRAHMAN, the corner stone of ALL knowledge. AtharvA taught what he had learned from his father to AngirA, who in turn taught it to SatyavAhA belonging to the clan of BharadvAjA; SatyavAhA passed that supreme knowledge in succession to Sage Angiras .

SaunakA, the celebrated grahasthA approached Sage Angiras and asked humbly: “O Illustrious sage! kasminnu BhagavO vig~nyAthE sarvamidham vig~nAtham bhavathee ? (What is that by the knowing of which all this becomes known?)

Sage Angiras replied: "two kinds of knowledge needs to be known according to the knowers of Brahman. They are the higher knowledge (parA) and the lower knowledge (aparA)"

Sage Angiras explained further that the lower knowledge is the Rig Veda, the Yajur VedA, the Saama VedA and Atharva VedA, SikshA (phonetics), kalpA (rituals), vyAkarNam (grammer), NirukthA (etymology), chandas (metre) and JyOthisham (astronomy); and the higher knowledge is that by which the imperishable Brahman is attained.

Sage Angiras said:" dhvE vidhyE vEdhithavyE ithi ha sma yadh BrahmavidhO vadanthi ParA chaivAparA cha "AparA are the four VedAs and their six angAs to understand the nature of DharmA and the ParA is the knowledge about the imperishable (akshaya) Brahman, which is the embodiment of DharmA. That omniscient, Omnipotent, all merciful Brahman has been defined as the source/origin, sustenance and dissolution of this multifaceted world according to the second Brahma sUthrA (JanmAdhyasya yatha:). That Brahman is cognized only through the scriptures, the sources of authoritative knowledge about Brahman (Saasthra yOnithvAth: Brahma-sUthram 1.3).The next Brahma sUtram goes on to point out that Brahman is the main purport of all Vedic and upanishadic texts (tatthu samanvayAth). Thus one can not dismiss the VedAs quickly as apara vidhyA and jump on to Para vidhyA. Rigorous study of the VedAs reveal to us the appproach to Brahman, the para VidhyA, the ultimate goal for us all.

The four categories of Knowledge in the VedAs

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The four VedAs contain four important categories of knowledge related to DharmA:

(1) Injunctions and Prohibitions

(2) Valedictory (praise) and deprecatory passages

(3) MantrAs and

(4) Names

All these four are necessary to understand true DharmA or righteous duty from different angles. Thus an inquiry in to them through the study of the VedAs becomes an essential pre-requisite in one's journey towards the comprehension of Brahman (para VidhyA). The authority of the VedAs for us is supreme and final and hence a proper understanding of them with the help of a qualified AchAryA sets us on a safe footing to comprehend Brahman and achieve the parama purushArtham of Moksham. Our tradition is therefore called Vaidhikam or the one based on the authoritativeness of the VedAs.

Vedic Samhitas

Rig, Yajur, Saama and Atharva samhithAs constitute the four VedA samhithAs. Each of them have more than one branch (SaakA). The oldest VedA is recognized as Rig Vedam and the youngest is the Atharva Vedam. Latter has nine branches or rescensions (navadhAatharvaNO veda:). These nine branches are: (1) PaippalAda (2) Tauda (3) MuNda (4) SaunakIya (5) Jaajala (6) Jalada (7) BrAhmaveda (8) Devadarsa and (9) ChAraNavaidya. Today, only two of the nine branches of Atharva Vedam (Saunakha and PaippalAda) are available to us. The Delhi Vedic trust has recorded the Saunakha sAkA .

The Atharva Veda samhithA has 5977 verses spread over 20 KhAndams (books/chapters). The khAndams are further subdivided into hymns and they in turn house a group of manthrAs. Some prefer to catalogue the Atharva Veda Text (SamhithA)into prapaathakAs (Lessons or lectures). Under this classification, there are 34 prapAthakAs that house the 5977 verses. Among NammAzhwAr's four Tamil Prabhandhams, Periya ThiruvanthAdhi is considered as the essence of Atharva Vedam.

The Delhi Vedic trust has recorded the 20 KhAndhams of Atharva Vedam in 14 audio tapes. I have now enjoyed listening to two of the twenty khAndams.

Rg Veda SamhithA

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This ancient Vedam has 1,028 sUkthams (hymns) and contains in all 10,589 verses. These are grouped into either 8 KhAndAs or 10 MandalAs with 85 anuvAkAs (subsections). There used to be 21 sakAs (redactions) of the Rig VedAs. There is only one available today. That is Saakala SaakA. IythrEya Upanishad belongs to Rig Veda SamhithA. NammAzhwAr's Thiruviruttham is consdieres as the Veda SaarArtham of Rig Vedam.

The Delhi Vedic Trust has recorded Saakala sAkA in 27 ninety minute tapes. During my father's sahasrAbhshEkam celebration, there was one Rig Vedic expert from Mayavaram, who recited that samhithA. He was lost in the ghOsham of Saama and KrishNa yajur Vedams. My great desire to hear the authentic renditon of the Rig Vedam is now satisfied.

Yajur Veda SamhithA

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This Vedam has 1975 verses grouped under 40 chapters known as adhyAyAs. The longest chapter has 117 "verses" and the shortest chapter has 13 "verses ". There are two Yajur samhithAs: Sukla and KrishNa (White and Black) samhithAs. The White Yajur Veda samhithA is also known as VajasanEyi -MadhyAndina Sukla Yajur vedam to distinguish it from KrishNa Yajur Veda or Taittiriya SamhithA, which is generally considered to be more close to a BrahmaNA rather than to a Sruthi. Most of the people in AndhrA and Tamil Naadu are KrishNa Yajur Vedins.

The two samhithAs have number of recensions in view of their wide popularity. These variations arose from a variety of textual differences and their applications in Vedic rituals. The two popular recensions of the Sukla Yajur Vedam are: MaadhyAndhina and KaaNva; the KrishNa Yajur Vedam has three recensions: kAtaka, Kapishtala-Kata and MaithrAyaNee.

Saama samhithA

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In its importance in YaagAs and sacredness, Saama Veda SamhithAs rank next to Rig VedA. The Lord of GeethA however has put this Saama samhithA on the top of all four SamhithAs with His declaration that He is Saama VedA among the VedAs. This samhithA consists of hyms chanted by udhgAtri priests at the Soma YaagAs. Many of the hymns originate from Rig Vedam and have been rearranged without reference to the original order in the Rig Vedam and set to music. Only 75 verses of the total of 1,875 verses of Saama Vedam are not to be found in Rig Vedam. The remaining 1,800 verses are essentially the repetitions of Rig Vedic verses. The important distinction however is that they are sung instead of being recited. The Rig Vedam deals with knowledge and Saama Vedam deals with UpAsanA, Worship and DhyAnam.

According to one classification, the Saama samhithA is catalogued under two sections: PurvArchikA and UttarArchikA. Each archikA is subdivided into prapaathakAs and adhyAyAs. In another classification, the 1875 verses are grouped under FOUR categories:

1. PurvArchikA: 585 verses ( 1-585 )

2. AraNya KhAndam : 55 verses ( 586-640 )

3. MahAnAmnyArchikA : 10 verses( 641-650 )

4. UttarArchikA: 1225 verses ( 651-1875)

In singing, the priests of the Yaj~nams follow specific styles through alteration of prolongation, repetition, modulation, rests et al. These become the various styles of Saama GhAnams: congregational (GrAma gEya GhAnam), AraNya ghAnam (Forest song style), Uha ghAnam and Uhya GhAnam.

Saama Vedam had originally 1001 branches. We have very few left now. NammAzhwAr's celebrated Thiruvaimozhi is recognized as the Saama Veda SaarArtham.

Panch Koshas - Defining 'I'

1. Annamaya Kosha – the Physical body, the Food sheath

2. Pranamaya Kosha – the Pranic Breath-like or Astral Body

3. Manomaya Kosha – The Mental (Mana) Sheath or Body

4. Vijnanamaya Kosha or Sheath of Wisdom (Vijnana)

5. Anandamaya Kosha or the “Sheath of Bliss or Delight”

We should note that these are sheaths and sheaths are never the real thing. The real thing is atman.

1. Annamaya Kosha – the Physical body, the Food sheath

Basic ingredient: Three gunas