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Tag: Atharva

  • Vedas On Human Anatomy

    Lest people may think that the Vedas just skim the surface of any subject, here is a Sample of what the Vedas say on Human Anatomy.

     

    Head , Siras.

     

    This consists of three parts.

     

    a)     Lalata  (brow)

    b)    Kakatika

    c)     Kapala

    – Atharva veda[ii]and the shatapatha bramhana[iii],

    Four ,Sankhya aranyanka[iv]

    The upper skull bones are attached to the other skull bones- Shatpad bhramhan[v].

    The upper skull bone , the cranium.

    The number of skull bones in modern anatomy  Eight.

    The Shatapada bhramhan[vi]describes the human head as made of skin, bone, and the brain.

    The gopath bhramana[vii] mentions marrow in addition.

    Human Anatomy explained in the Vedas
    Vedas on Human Anatomy, Image Credit http://is1.mum.edu/vedicreserve/forty_branches_large_views/Rk.gif

    The Atharva veda[viii]further describes the head as having seven apertures (khani) – two ears, two eyes, two nostrils and the mouth.

    2)    Griva (neck)

     

    The  structure of the Neck. as described in the Vedas.

    Posterior part – the posterior part of the neck is made of

    a)     One strong bone (virya) with 14 karukaras (lateral processes) on the two sides of the vertebral column.

    b)    One artery carrying the blood upwards (rig veda 10.163.2 . Av 11.32.2)

    c)     Eight manyas (carotid arteries)

    Anterior part – the anterior part of the neck is the throat (kanta)- in which their lies a dhamani (should be the wind pipe in this context).

    The structure given here refers to the cervical column  i.e griva with 14 karukaras [posterior] and to the windpipe anterior.

     

    The exact number of cervical bones according to modern observation is Seven.

     

     

    Hoernle[xi] comments : the two transverse process to each vertebral are counted as separate bones so the number they counted as 14.

     

    3)    Hanu (jaw)

    The atharva veda[xii] mentions the jaw as a complete organ.

    The expression found in the av is Hanu-cityaa.

    4)    Akshi (eyes)

    The bhramhana[xiv] texts refer to the white the black and the red ball of the eye

    Two passages of give elaborate description of eye as follows:

    a)     First Lohini-raji (red arteries and red veins of the white part of eye)

    b)    Then Aapa (vitreous humours)

    c)     Then Kaninika (pupil)

    d)    Then mandal (eye ball)

    e)     Then Krishna (iris)

    f)      Then Sukra or sukla (white part of eye ball)

    g)     Lastly the eye lashes in the upper and lower part of the eye.

    (Shatpath bramhan[xv] and bruhat aranyaka upanishad[xvi] )

    There are two arteries (nadis ) of the eye, which extend to the heart

    5)    Vaksha (thorax):

    The shatpath bramhan[xviii] through the analogy of chandas (metres) describes the chest of the human body.

    There are four sides of the chest:

    a)     kikasa (thoracic vertebrae)

    b)    parshvas (two sides)

    c)     uras (Sternum)

    d)     sixteen jatrus (costal cartilages)

    .

    6)    Hrdaya

    In the Upanishad period the hrdaya is described and is stated there as made up of flesh with a network structure.

    [xxi]. Puritat the coating of the heart has been mention in the text of the vajasaneyi samhita[xxii].

    Moreover in the same text[xxiii] there occurs the mention of two lump of flesh(kosi)of the hrday.

    In the Upanishad[xxiv] the heart is conceived of as the wheel of a chariot in which the arteries emanating from the heart are described as the spokes of the wheel.

    The numbers of vessels in the heart stated in different Upanishads differ.

    According to some the number is 101 whereas in Brhat Aranyaka upanishad[xxv] and other Upanishad the number of vessels with its branches and sub branches are 72000.

    The weight of heart is stated in the garbha upanishad[xxvi] as eight pala.

    7)    Parshva (sides)

    The shatapath bramhan[xxvii] gives the following account of the structure of the two sides.

    The two sides of the body are formed by 26 parsus or parisavas (ribs).

    Theses ribs are joined at either end to the thoracic vertebrae (kikasa) in the back and jatru (costal cartilage) in the front.

    These ribs are attached to the andaparisus ( which should mean globular end of the rib)

    8)    Pristi (vertebral or vertical column)

    The shatapath bramhan[xxviii] refers to the three division of the vertical column:

    a)     Griva (cervical)

    b)    Amuka (thoracic)

    c)     Udara (lumbar)

    In the thoracic portion of the vertebral column there are 32 pristi kundalas or karukaras (vertebra). The lumbaric portion (udara) is statedas consisted of 20 kuntapas

    9)    Vasti (Bladder)

    The atharva veda[xxix] describes it as the size of a bow.

    The urine is conveyed to the bladder by the two Gavini. To the bladder is attached the vasti –bila (bladder-orifice) and mehana or vartam (urinary duct).

    10)           Upper limbs

    From the account give in the vedic text we can form an idea of the component parts of the upper limbs.

    These are shoulder (amsa) and the hands, the arms (bahu), forearm (doshan) and palm (pani).

    Amsa (shoulder) – the atharva veda[xxx] mentions of two parts of shoulder consisting of aksha (collar bone) and kaphoda (shoulder blades).

    According to the shatpath bramhan[xxxi] the shoulder blade (phalaka) are very small bones.

    Bahu (hands) = the hands are joined to the trunk by means of the collar bones[xxxiii].

    They are made up of three parts[xxxiv].The name of the three parts are known as bahu (arm), doshan (forearm) and pani (palm).

    The palm consist of two parts – ucchalankhas (long bones) and in midst of the hand and the angulis each with three joints.[xxxv]

    11)                       The lower limb

    Fom the description given in atharva veda[xxxvi] and shatapath bramhan[xxxvii] the following idea about the structre of lower limb can be made.

    The lower limb are connected to the trunk by means of shroni (hip). Vankshana (groin) is a joint connecting the thigh with the belly. There are three parts of the leg

    a)     Uru (thigh)

    b)    Jagana(lower part of the leg)

    c)     Pada (foot)

    The knee resemble a ‘fourfold frame’ for joining thigh with the lower part of leg. The foot consists of five parts

    a)     Parsni (the heel)

    b)    Gulpha (ankle )

    c)     Ucchalamkha (meta tarsal)

    d)    Prastista (base – carpus)

    e)     Anguli (digits)

    Citations.

    An interesting and Informative site on AyurVeda, visit the Link below.

    Introduction to Vedic Anatomy

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  • Rig Veda Date Components Details

    The Rig Veda.
    The Rig Veda.

    The Rig Veda is the oldest among the four Vedas , the Scared Scriptures of the Hindus.

    The Rig Veda, as is known now, is the oldest among the Four, the other three being Yajur, Sama and Atharva.

    Date of The Rig Veda varies, by modern perception , ranging between 2000 BC to 1000 BC.

    The Hindu tradition has it that the Vedas are self-sustaining and they are without  a beginning.

    One view,

    ‘It is one of the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. Philological and linguistic evidence indicate that the Rigveda was composed in the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent, roughly between 1700–1100 BC[5] (the early Vedic period). There are strong linguistic and cultural similarities with the early Iranian Avesta, deriving from the Proto-Indo-Iranian times, often associated with the early Andronovo and Sintashta-Petrovka cultures of c. 2200 – 1600 BC.”

    It is the oldest book in any Indo-European language and contains the earliest form of all Sanskrit mantras that date back to 1500 B.C. – 1000 B.C. Some scholars date the Rig Veda as early as 12000 BC – 4000 B.C. The Rig-Vedic ‘samhita’ or collection of mantras consists of 1,017 hymns or ‘suktas’, covering about 10,600 stanzas, divided into eight ‘astakas’ each having eight ‘adhayayas’ or chapters, which are sub-divided into various groups. The hymns are the work of many authors or seers called ‘rishis’. There are seven primary seers identified: Atri, Kanwa,Vashistha, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Gotama and Bharadwaja. The rig Veda accounts in detail the social, religious, political and economic background of the Rig-Vedic civilization. Even though monotheism characterizes some of the hymns of Rig Veda, naturalistic polytheism and monism can be discerned in the religion of the hymns of Rig Veda’

    Mantra pushpam
    Mantra pushpam

    The Rig Veda Text Translation , Click the Link right below.

    Click for Text of Rig Veda

    The Rig Veda starts with the Mantra,

    अग्निमीळे पुरोहितं यज्ञस्य देवं रत्वीजम |
    होतारं रत्नधातमम || Rig Veda 1.001.01

    aghnimīḷe purohitaṃ yajñasya devaṃ ṛtvījam |
    hotāraṃ ratnadhātamam || Rig Veda 1.001.01

    * Translation by Griffith in 1896
    I Laud Agni, the chosen Priest, God, minister of sacrifice,
    The hotar, lavishest of wealth.

    * Translation by Sa_yan.a and Wilson
    1.001.01 I glorify Agni, the high priest of the sacrifice, the divine, the ministrant, who presents the oblation (to the gods), and is the possessor of great wealth. [Agni = purohita, the priest who superintends family rites; or, he is one of the sacred fires in which oblations are first (pura) offered (hita); deva: a god, the bright, shining, radiant; fr. div, to shine; or, one who abides in the sky or heaven (dyusha_na); or, liberal, donor (in the sense of giving); r.tvij = a ministering priest, he is also the hota_ (Aitareya Bra_hman.a 3.14), the priest who presents the oblation or who invokes or summons the deities to the ceremony; fr. hu, to sacrifice; or, fr. have, to call; ratnadha_tama: lit. holder of jewels; ratna = wealth in general; figuratively, reward of religious rites].’_Agni Sukta.

    This is recited even today as the first Mantra in Brahma Yagnam, which is performed by the Brahmins daily.

    The Rig Veda is organised into Mandalas,Ten in Number.

    Mandals are ‘Family Books’

    The First Mandala is the Invocation of Agni-quoted above.

    The primary Deity of the Brahmin is Agni.

    Agni is presumed to reside the right palm of the Brahmins  who have practiced the Vedas.

    It is ordained that Brahmins are expected to Bless the others with their left palm and not the right palm, and that too without touching the one who is being blessed.

    There is an anecdote of recent origin.

    Sadasiva Brahmendra, a Vedic scholar and a Yogi lived in Kumbakonam,Tamil Nadu, India, in the eighteenth century.

    King Thondaman of Pudukkottai was close to him.

    Envious of this, some courtiers informed the king that Sadasiva Brahmendra was insulting the king by Blessing him  with his left hand.

    When Sadasiva Brahmendra met the king the next time, Sadasiva touched the seat near him with his palm downwards; the chair flared up in flames and Sadasiva Brahmendra smiled at the King and blessed him with his left hand.

    Manadalas 2 to  7  are the oldest and the longest.

    For more:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigveda#Organization

    http://hinduism.about.com/cs/vedasvedanta/a/aa120103a_2.htm

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