1. Prajapathim kanda rishim tharpayami. I satisfy the Kanda rishi called Prajapathi.
2. Somam kanda rishim tharpayami. I satisfy the Kanda rishi called moon.
3. Agnim kanda rishim tharpayami. I satisfy the Kanda rishi called fire.
4. Viswaan devaan kanda rishim tharpayaami. I satisfy the Kanda rishi called devas of the world
5. Saahinkeer devatha upanishadha tharpayami. I satisfy Upanishads which are devathas of collection of Vedas.
6. Yagnigeer devatha upanishadha tharpayaami. I satisfy Upanishads which are devathas of collections of Yagnas.
7. Vaaruneer devatha upanishadha tharpayami. I satisfy Upanishads which are devathas of collections of Varuna.
8. Brhamanagum swayubhuvam tharpayaami. I satisfy the Brahmam which is within me
9. Sadasaspathim tharpayami. I satisfy the presiding deity.
The Vedas, the Sacred Books of the Hindus, transmitted orally are considered to be Apaurusheya, not Man mad, grasped from Ether by the Seers intuitively.
The are to be ‘Heard’, Sruthi, not learnt from written Books.
Rigveda (padapatha) manuscript in Devanagari, early 19th century.
However, the written form of the Vedas are in the form of Manuscripts.
“Due to the ephemeral nature of the manuscript material (birch bark or palm leaves), manuscripts rarely surpass an age of a few hundred years.
The Benares Sanskrit University has a Rigveda manuscript of the mid-14th century and there are a number of older Veda manuscripts in Nepal belonging to the Vajasaneyi tradition that are dated from the 11th century onwards.”
The scholarly consensus dates the bulk of the Yajurveda and Atharvaveda hymns to the early IndianIron Age, c. 1200 or 1000 BC, corresponding to the early Kuru Kingdom.
There is a dispute about the exact date of the Manuscripts.
What is to be borne in mind is that the spoken word being older than the written word, and considering the richness of the Language used the Vedas must date quite a few thousand years than the date of the Manuscripts.
But be it as it may.
What I am interested is not about the date of the Vedas but the dates of Vedas when seen in conjunction with the Ithihasas, Ramayana and Puranas.
They themselves admit that the follow the Vedas and as such mus be post-Veda.
Fine, no issues,
But when the Vedas contain references to the Puranas, Ihihsas or their Characters found therein?
Vedas contain,
Rama-rahasyopanishad.
Rama-tapany-upanishad.
Vasudevopanishad.
Gopala-tapany-upanishad.
Krishnopanishad.
Nrisimha-tapaniyopanishad.
Yajnavalkyopanishad.
Varahopanishad
Of these,are characters from The Ramayana(1,2 ) ,: 3, 4 , 5 from Mahabharata and Bhagavatham while 6 ,7, and 8 from Puranas ..
Yagnavalkya is reported to have vomited the Vedas , Taittriyas.
If one looks at these the question that comes to mind is,
If the Purana, Ithihasas are later than the Vedas, how come they are mentioned in the Vedas?
It is also stated that Viswamitra gave the world the Gayatri Mantra, to whom it was revealed.
The Rig Vedic version has one syllable short and Taittriya Aranyaka has the full detailed version.
Does this mean that before it was revealed to Viswamitra no body chanted it?
Yet there are references of the Rishis chanting the Gayatri before the advent of Viswamitra.
How and why?
Therefore my options are.
1. That the Vedas are not eternal I do not subscribe to this view.
2.The References to Puranas are Interpolations.- Possible.
3.That as Sound precedes being grasped, Sounds that exists eternally, are picked up at different times by the different Seers and are recorded.
Eminently possible.
Understanding Infinity and Zero are equally beyond me.
In this sense eternity seems to have a break in that while Sound is Eternal, grasping it not.
These Upanishads explain the different principles of Yoga as enunciated by Patanjali in Yoga Sutras.
Translation.
1. The mind is chiefly spoken as of two kinds, pure and impure. The impure mind is desire-ridden, and the pure is free of desire.
2. Undoubtedly it is the mind that is the cause of man’s liberation and bondage. The mind that is attached to sense objects leads to bondage, while that which is free from them leads to liberation. So they think.
3. Since liberation is for the mind free from sense-objects, the mind should always be made clean of such desire, by the seeker of truth.
4. Once this is accomplished and the mind is fully controlled within the heart (the heart chakra is one of the favorite centers of meditation-Translator) it realizes its own essence. Then the supreme state is obtained.
5. The mind should be controlled till it gets fully merged in the heart. This is Jnana (realization) and this is Dhyana (meditation) also, all else are mere talk and word play
6. The supreme state is neither to be thought of (as it is beyond thought), nor unworthy to be thought of (as it is the only method of release), nor is It to be thought of in any other manner than the essence of the ever visible, timeless, supreme bliss itself. Truth which is free from all entanglement is reached in this state.
7. First concentrate on OM with its letters( that is on AUM, the meaning would be roughly like this A= creative force, U= sustaining force , M= destructive force or in essence the visible reality in all its aspects contained in the word OM- Translator), then graduate to OM without regard to its letters. When the later form of meditation becomes fruitful, the idea of non-entity is attained as entity.
8. that alone is Reality, without component parts, without doubt, and without taint. Realizing I am that Reality one becomes immutable Reality
9. The Real is endless, beyond reason and analogy, beyond all proofs and causeless; knowing which the wise person becomes free.
10 The highest truth is that pure consciousness which realizes, “ There is neither control of mind nor it is coming into play, neither am I bound, nor am I a worshipper, neither am I a seeker after liberation, nor one who has attained liberation.”
11. Actually the soul should be known from its states of wakefulness, dreaming, and dreamless sleep. For him who has transcended the three states there is no rebirth.
12. Being the only One, the universal soul is present in all beings. Though One, it is seen as many, like the moon in the water.
13. Just as it is the vessel which being moved from one place to another which changes place and not the space enclosed in it, so is the jiva which resembles that space.
14. When the various forms like the vessel are broken repeatedly the Space (Akasha /ether) does not know them to be broken, but He knows perfectly
15. Being covered by Maya which is a mere sound, it does not know Space (The reality), through darkness, When ignorance is shredded, It by virtue of being Itself, only sees unity in everything.
16. The OM as Word is first looked upon as the Supreme reality. After that (the word idea) has vanished, that timeless reality remains. The wise person should meditate on that imperishable reality, if he desires the peace of his soul.
17. These two kinds of learning ought to be understood, the Word (physical) Reality and the Supreme Reality. Having mastered the Word Reality One attains to the highest Reality
18. After studying the Vedas (that is recorded knowledge) the intelligent person who is solely intent on acquiring knowledge and realization should discard the Vedas altogether, like the man who discards husk to obtain rice?
19. The milk is always white even though cows are of diverse colures. The intelligent person regards Jnana (learning) as the milk and the many branched Vedas as the cows.
20. Like butter hidden in milk, pure consciousness resides in every being. That ought to be constantly churned out by the churning rod of the mind.
21. The Supreme reality should be brought out like fire by taking hold of the rope of knowledge. “I am that Reality, indivisible, immutable, and calm”, thus it is thought of.
22. In whom reside all beings, and who resides in all beings by virtue of his being the giver of grace to all- I am that soul of the universe, the Supreme being, I am that Soul of the Universe the Supreme being.
This Upanishad is often linked to Yajurveda (one of the four Vedas) or more precisely to Krishna Yajurveda. Yet the “Santhipatham” (prayer at the beginning) belongs to Upanishads originating from Atbara Veda.
Considered from the point of view of the subject matter this is an Upanishad on Yoga, it is also a comparatively new Upanishad. Other Upanishads belonging to the same category are Varaha, Yogasikha, Yogathathva, Kshurika, Sandilya, and Hamsa.
This is the part of The Vedas, the unwritten Scripture of the Hindus, over 5000(Five Thousand) years old and transmitted by oral tradition, that contains the enquiry into the Nature of the World where were We, where we are and Where do We Go from Here’
It is a Philosophical treatise that has to be practiced.
Please read my posts on Vedas filed under Hinduism/Indian Philosophy for more details.
Thee Upanishads are called the end of all The Veda, Vedanta.
They are 108.
10 upaniṣads are associated with the Rigveda and have the shānti beginning vaṇme-manasi.
16 upaniṣads are associated with the Samaveda and have the shānti beginning āpyāyantu.
19 upaniṣads are associated with the Shukla Yajurveda and have the shānti beginning pūrṇamada.
32 upaniṣads are associated with the Krishna Yajurveda and have the shānti beginning sahanāvavatu.
31 upaniṣads are associated with the Atharvaveda and have the shānti beginning bhadram-karṇebhiḥ.
“26-29. But by what means is the Kaivalya kind of Moksha got ? The Mandukya is enough; if knowledge is not got from it, then study the Ten Upanishads. Getting knowledge very soon, you will reach my abode. If certainty is not got even then, study the 32 Upanishads and stop. If desiring Moksha without the body, read the 108 Upanishads. Hear their order-
–Muktika Upanishad Translated by Dr. A. G. Krishna Warrier Published by The Theosophical Publishing House, Chennai
Jainism had such an advanced knowledge and Piety, the Jain Monks use to sweep the path they travel gently with a fan made of Peacock feathers to make sure that the smaller organisms are not unintentionally killed by them.
Kara , Dhooshana, Inderjith and Ravana’s Moola Sena were adept at fighting biological warfare.
¨ The first attempt of classification is observed in Chandyogya Upanishad, which classified animals into three categories — Jivaja(Viviparous = giving birth to young ones), e.g. mammals, Andaja(Oviparous = egg lying), e.g. birds, reptiles, insects and worms, andUdbhija (Vegetal origin), e.g. minute animals. Post-Vedic Indian literature, such as Susruta Samhita (600 BC) classified all ‘substances’ into sthavara (immobile), e.g. plants, jangama (mobile), e.g. animals.
¨ Plants were further subdivided into Vanaspati (fruit yielding non-flowering plants), Vriksha (both fruit yielding and flowering plants),Virudha (shrubs and creepers), and Osadhi (plants that die with ripening of fruits).
Susruta described in detail the parts of plants, such as Ankura (sprout), Mula (root), Kanda (bulb or stem), Patra (leaf),Pushpa (flower), Phala (fruit), etc.
¨ Susruta Samhita also mentioned about classification of animals, such as Kulacara (those herbivores who frequent the river banks, e.g. elephant, buffalo, etc.), Matsya (fish), Janghala (wild herbivorous quadrupeds, e.g. deer), Guhasaya (carnivorous quadrupeds like tiger, lion, etc.). Susruta Samhita also records some observations on snakes (both venomous and non-venomous) and leeches.
They knew about Microbes and about fermentation.
They were aware of the exact combinations and temperatures at which fermentation takes place in preparing Buttermilk,Curds,Liquor.
The existence of Lives , which are smaller and Microscopic was analysed.
Germ theory of diseases was first established by Vedic Rishis and was recorded in Vedas.
Vedas are first text in the world to record nexus between microbes and disease.
In Vedas, prime etiological factors of diseases mentioned are–
a) Endogenous toxins, its accumulations, and causation of a disease; b) ‘Krimi’ –’Drisya’ (visible), ‘Adrisya’ (invisible); and c) Imbalance of tridosha.
Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Atharvaveda followed by Āyurvedas provide rich insight into microbial sciences that existed in Bharat many thousands of years ago.
In Rigveda (1/191), Rishị Agastya pinpoints out that there are two types of poisonous creatures viz. those exceedingly poisonous and others are less poisonous.
Of them, some are visible venomous, while others are invisible one.
Some of them live in water, while others live on earth.
Perhaps Ṛsị Agastya is the first person to state that invisible creatures are also toxin producers.
He also prescribes antidotes as remedy for the poison. Atharvaveda reiterates that whenever there is accumulation of toxins within the body, disease results.
(AV. 2/31) all by Rishi Kanva; RakshognamSukta (AV. 5/29) by Rishi Chatan; KriminashnamSukta (AV. 4/37) by Rishi Badrayani and other suktas
provides insight into the Microbial sciences in Vedas.
Not only the Vedas, Ayurvedic texts like Charaka Samhita, Susruta Samhita, Ashtanga Hridaya and many others provides rich insight into Vedic Microbiology.
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