Rigveda–A Study on Forty Hymns

Rig Veda A study of the forty hymns yasmaa%xarmatItao|hmaxaradip caao<ama: | Atao|isma laaokovaodo ca pìqat: puruYaao<ama: || Since I am beyond mutable Knowledge and even the Immutable Wisdom, Therefore, I am the known as the Supreme One. - declares Sri Krishna Truth is a pathless land To communicate with one another, even if we know each other well, is extremely difficult. I may use words that may have to you significance different from mine. Understanding comes when we, you and I, meet on the same level at the same time. That happens only when there is real affection between people . That is real communion. Instantaneous understanding comes when we meet on the same level as the same time. - J. Krishnamurti First Edition 2006 Published by Nagesh D. Sonde 318, Raheja Crest, - 3, Link Road, Andheri West, Mumbai 400 053 Tele Nos . 2635 2743 - 44 Printed at New Age Printing Press Sayani Road, Mumbai – 400 025 Rupees Five Hundred Only. To My Sons Ashish and Devdatt With thanks for having fulfilled my expectations I had for them in leading their lives. * ‘Aqa ~yaao vaava laaoka:, manauYyalaaok: ip~ulaaokao dovalaaok: [it | saao|yaM manauYya laaok: pu~oNaOva jayya:, naanyaona kma-Naa: kma-Naa iptRlaaok: | dovalaaokao vaO laaokanaaM EaoYz:, tsmaaiWVaM p`SaMsaint ||’ Brihad Aranyaka Up. There are three worlds: The world of men, the world of ancestors and the world of divinities. The world of men is to be achieved through continuation of the line of offspring, not by performance of actions. The world of fathers is to be achieved through performance of actions in one’s life. The world of divinities is supreme among worlds. Hence, acquisition and practice of Wisdom is praised. ‘yada pÒYyanmanyanto|qa pu~maah %vaM ba`*ma %vaM ya&a: %vaM laaok [it |’ When a man realizes that he is about to depart from this world, he says to his offspring :‘You are Brahman, You are Yajna, You are World. All that is spoken is Brahman, all that is performed is Yajna, all that manifests in world is the World’. ‘yaWO ikMcaanaU>M tsya sava-syab`*mao%ayakta | yao vaO ko ca ya&astoYaaM savao-YaaM ya& [%yaokta | yao vaO ko ca laaokastoYaaM savao-YaaM laaok [%yakta | etavaWa [dM sava-ma\ | etnmaa sava-M sannayaimatao|Baunajaidit |’ Whatever Wisdom is gathered all that becomes Brahman; whatever actions that are performed all that becomes Yajna; whatever actions are performed all that becomes the Wolrd. Therefore, this is all that is, therefore, everything that exists is Existence. The Offspring replies to the Worlds : ‘tsmadonamanauSaasait, sa sadOvaMivadsmaallaoka%pÒit, AqaOiBarova pàNaO: sahpu~maaicaSait | ‘sa yaVnaona ikMicadXnayaa|kRtM Bavait |’ ‘I am conscious that I am Brahman, the Existence,I am Yajna, performed as actions, I am World established as accomplishment. He being all this is protected thereby. ‘tsmaadonaM sava-smaa%pu~ao mauHcait | sa yaVnaona ikMicadXnayaa|kRtM Bavait |’ All this, verily, the son delivers the father, therefore, referred as Offspring. The father lives in this world through his sons. Divine Essence, immortal Speech and energy flows in him, __________ CONTENTS Preface Introduction Rigveda Hymns I. APtRNasaUyaa-: 12 II Axa iktva inanda 17 III Annama\ 23 IV gaàvaNa 26 V ASva: 31 VI sarmaa 36 VII saaoma: 40 VIII gaava: 45 IX Eawa 48 X &anama 51 XI Aigna 55 XII Aap: 59 XIII vaayau: 61 XIV saUya-: 64 XV [nd`: 70 XVI VavapRiQavaI 78 XVII ima~a varuNa: 82 XVIII varuNa: 86 XIX saivata 90 XX Baga 95 XXI ]Yasa\ 99 XXII koiSana\ 106 XXIII ?Bava: 109 XXIV ba`*maNaspit 112 XXV yama: 120 XXVI iptr: 127 XXVII Qanannadanama\ 132 XXVIII BaavavaR<ama\ 137 XXIX k: 143 XXX puruYa: 148 XXXI ivaYNau: 157 XXXII EaI: 161 XXXIII rud`: 171 XXXIV [nd`: 177 XXXV Aa%maa 181 XXXVI doovaa: 184 XXXVII ivaSvadovaa: 1 188 XXXVIII ivaSvadovaa: 2 194 XXXIX ivaSvadovaa: 3 215 XXXX Aigna: 223 Preface I have been studying Rigveda for number of years, yet it would be presumptuous on my part if I say that I have known veda., let alone experienced it. Veda is Wisdom and not Knowledge. Knowledge can be known but Wisdom has to be experienced. It is easy to communicate what one knows, it is difficult to communicate experience, awareness. Therefore, I say I have attempted to know but I am not yet bold enough to say that I have experienced, am aware of it. A man of Wisdom does not speak and should not speak, he remains silent, he should remain silent. That silence would not be the silence of the grave yard, but the silence of the mountains, of the rivers, of the breeze who are aware of the existence yet find no need to speak about it. It is the lively silence. It is the silence when you drop your memories, your thoughts, your knowledge. In that very silence there is a roar like that of a lion awakened from its stupor. Speaking about the Art of Listening, J. Krishnsmurti remarked ‘To be able really to listen, one should abandon or put aside all prejudices, pre-formulations and daily activities. When you are in a receptive state of mind, things can easily be understood . But unfortunately most of us listen through a screen of prejudices, . .whether religious or spiritual, psychological or scientific . It is difficult to put aside our prejudices, our inclinations, our resistance and reaching beyond the verbal expression, to listen so that we understand instantaneously’. For listening fruitfully and effectively he suggests that one should just listen, not resist, even if anything is said which is opposed to our way of thinking and belief. Because truth cannot be given to any one by somebody, we have to discover it. To discover one should have direct perception, and direct perception is not possible if there is resistance, a safeguard, a protection. Books become irrelevant if they do not satisfy this primary condition and accepted instead as tra- dition, a belief, and a faith. The words spoken there lose the ring, that quality of Truth, which they might have once when they were spoken, ending up being mere words, preserved and protected by organized religions or institutional zealots guardians. A Truth is not realized when one quotes scriptures, using some one else’s experiences and words and symbols used because what one quotes are only the words contained in the scriptures and not the experience of the Truth which one has realized. About silence one can not speak because what one speaks of silence would all be wrong. That is why upanishadic teacher avers ‘yatao vaacaao inavat-nto ApàPya sah’. Yet a human being speaks, not because he only knows and is not aware, but because he speaks thinking and hoping that his words, even though do not reveal the whole entirety and complete of all that he has experienced and been aware of, may yet be steps on which others may experience experiences and be aware of enlightened awareness. This is what the vedic seers attempted in recording their awareness; this is what the upansihadic teachers suggested when they clarified their understanding. Neither vedic seers nor the upanishadic teachers assure enlightened awareness; they only offer a platform for one to stand upon, as a jumping board to take a leap from what they have known to what they want to be aware. If one becomes enlightened, aware and wise, such one would be a blessed one. If one does not become enlightened, aware and wise it does not mean that he has not tried, not realized, not been aware of. It only means, it could only mean that he has not been able to, or he has not the calibre, the skill to speak out what he has become enlightened, aware and wise. When one quotes the scripture as an authority and not as a basis for clarifying one’s mind, it shows that one’s mind is confused and not ready for being receptive. Scriptures are important and may even be indispensable pointers, indicators on the path to Perfection but they can be fatal if one accepts and relies on them, without analyzing, harmonizing, reformulating and adapting them with newly emerging situations in human life, or are treated with wholly unwarranted respect and reverence, then the symbols tend to become barriers to clarity of mind and receptivity to Truth. Religions and the Scriptures create divisions in minds and people if one seeks security in one or the other beliefs, faiths and religions. Only he, who stripping himself of the prejudices and pre-conditioned mind has investigated, analyzed the world beliefs and faiths without raising them to the level of dogmas and using them only as operational and provisional tools to harmonize reformulate and adapt them to the situations on hand can be called a man with receptive mind. This is neither a Book of Revealtions or Book of the one’s Experiences. It is only a book what which gives explanation of the hymns as they struck to the author’s intellect, documented as remembrance to what one experienced in one’s own inner mind. If some one finds themselves useful may accept them others may keep it aside as one more of the many books on the subject matter. There is no need to agree with every thing that is written here. Suffice if one just reads with open minded receptivity. Confirmation is not expected, because these explanation to the hymns were primarily for my own self and not for others to be convinced. If they help, as they have helped the author the effort will be considered worthwhile.

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