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Home , Om Namah Shivaya, Para Vidya, Shaunaka, Vedic chant

The Essence of Veda Chanting Inaugural Address by Dr. Narendranath Reddy Chairman, Sathya Sai International Organisation International Young Adults Veda Programme 20 June 2020

Om Sahanavavatu 500 BC by the Turkish and Persians to refer to Sahanau bhunaktu, the people who were living in the Indus Valley Saha viryam karavavahai, area. People say Sanathana began Tejasvi navadhithamastu, around 5,000 or 10,000 BC. Sanathana Dharma Ma Vidvishavahai means eternal religion – there is no beginning. . Shanti, Shanti, Shanti That is why our ’s journal is called Sana- thana Sarathi – He is the eternal charioteer who May the Lord protect us, may He nourish us. is taking us in the right direction. Let us under- May we acquire the capacity to study and un- stand that teach the eternal religion (San- derstand the scriptures. May our study be bril- athana Dharma). liant and may we not cavil at each other. Om. Peace, Peace, Peace unto us all. Main Message of the Vedas What is the main message of the Vedas? Ananto With love and gratitude, I offer my prayerful Vai Veda Pranams at the Divine Lotus Feet of our dearest, the message is Sathyam (God alone is loving and omnipresent Lord, Bhagawan Sri true) Jagath, Vedas Mithya are infinite, (the world but theis illusory) summary, Jivo of Sathya Sai Baba who is Veda Mata (The mother Brahmaiva Naparah (we the embodied beings, of Vedas), the Veda and Vedamayaa are divine). Swami says that the goal and pur- (that means He is the Veda Himself) and He is pose of human life is to realise and manifest in- Veda Vedya (He could be realised and attained nate divinity Also, Swami says that the purpose through Vedas). Dear Brothers and Sisters, lov- of the Sathya Sai International Organisation, ing Sai Ram to all of you. and the divine mission is to help us realise and First, I would like to congratulate all the YAs for manifest our innate divinity, and also to see the launching this project, to study the Vedas in same divinity in the whole of creation and help depth and practise its teachings. I am happy others to realise the same truth. The scriptures that you have started this at a young age. Swami say that the purpose of human life is Atmano says, ‘Start early, drive slowly, and reach safely’. Mokshartham Jagat Hitayacha (seeking one’s The Vedas belong to Sanathana Dharma. How- own realisation and the welfare of humanity). ever, people think that Vedas are only for Hin- The ultimate goal is to realise the truth or Brah- dus. The word Hindu was introduced around man – Self-realisation.

sathyasai.org The Essence of Veda Chanting From to come Brahmana only by practising the teach- According to Sanathana Dharma, we are all born ings and attaining the knowledge of . as which means we are all born without Then we become a . So, this is how, the knowledge of the Atma. No one is a Brahmin, Vedas help us in this process of progression or Vysya by birth. But through the ini- from Shudra to Brahmana. tiation of , we become a Dwija When we talk about Vipra, it is said in Rig Veda, (which means twice born). Then, we are born in Ekam Sath, Vipra Bahudha Vadanti which means spirit: beginning of the process of acquiring At- that there is only one truth, but the Vipras – the knowledge. This is the time of performing mic wise people perceive and call it by different the sacred thread ceremony or ( Upa names – , Jesus, etc. We need to un- meaning close and meaning eyes) which Nayana derstand how the word Veda came about. is coming closer to the vision of God, by being initiated into the Gayatri. Origin of Vedas and Nomenclature The etymological meaning of the word Veda I am happy that we chanted Akhanda Gayatri for comes from the word Vid which means know- 24-hours recently and thousands of devotees all ing. We are in the eternal quest for knowledge., over the world participated. I want to appreci- Sath Chit Ananda (existence, knowledge, and ate your participation in this Akhanda Gayatri bliss) is our very nature. We always want to Yagna. Once we have been initiated, we become know; we think we exist forever, and we want twice born. Then we are eligible to study the Ve- bliss because that is our very nature. So, Vid das. The four Vedas are the Rig Veda, the Yajur means knowing. The Vedas are a repository of Veda, the Veda, and the Atharva Veda. knowledge. Once we have studied the Vedas, we become a Vipra. There are different titles like Dwivedi, When did the Vedas start? Knowledge has no somebody has who mastered two Vedas; Trive- beginning. Let us remember these important di, somebody who has mastered three Vedas; words. It is Anadi, which means no beginning. Chaturvedi, somebody who has mastered four There is no beginning for the Veda. Knowledge Vedas. Subsequently, the name remained but is eternal. It is called Sanathana or eternal and it these people did not really learn the Vedas. is Anantha (Anantho Vai Veda). Vedas are in- Swami in one of His discourse, related a humor- study the Vedas in depth. We can have glimpses ous story. It is about the great philosopher and andfinite. general That knowledge is why no of one’s the Vedas. life is Swami enough said to scholar from Germany, Max Mueller, who was that it will take many lifetimes to study all the very fond of Vedas, , and Hindu Vedas in detail. That is why it is called Anantho scriptures. Once he happened to have an ap- Vai Veda. They have no beginning and are in- pointment with an Indian whose name was Apaurusheyas. They did not Trivedi. Max Mueller was very excited to meet a come from human beings; they are revelations person who knows three Vedas and wanted to fromfinite. the They divine. are They have come from God. That have a dialogue with him on Vedas. When he is an important thing. They are called the breath found out that this man did even know what the of God. Swami says, Vedas are the breath of the Vedas were, he was very disappointed. Some- Lord, and identify them as God. times, people like this great German person, and other Western philosophers dive deep into Vedas are also called Sruthi. Sruthi means Shra- these teachings. vana – hearing. In the old days, the only way they could transmit this knowledge was by tell- We become a once we have studied the Vipra ing people verbally. So, people heard and learnt Vedas in depth. But that does not make us the them. They heard the voice of God as it was re- ultimate Brahman. The last stage is when we vealed to them. That is why it is called Sruthi. become (Brahmin). How do we be- Brahmana Since God revealed the Vedas to them in deep come Brahmana? Not just by reading the Vedas. meditation, they are called Sruthis. They were We may be a Vedic Scholar, Vipra, but we be-

2 The Essence of Veda Chanting transmitted verbally to their disciples, and that Sections of Vedas is the second reason why it is called Sruthi. This - Sruthi Trayee or 3-part (an- ing sections: other name for Vedas). First, there were only Every Veda is further classified into the follow • Kanda three Vedas also is which classified were as recognized, namely Rig rites to God for attaining health, wealth, and Veda, Yajur Veda and Sama Veda. Atharva Veda progeny. (performing rituals): sacrificial came much later. That is why in most of the scriptures, in the beginning we say ‘Trayee’ and • Upasana Kanda (worship the Lord): the these three Vedas are called ‘Trayee.’ These Ve- path. Hymns of praise to God. das are also called Nigama and Aamanaya and • Jnana Kanda (which is Upanishads): Jnanat many other names. Gayatri is called Chandhasa eva tu i.e. through Jnana we attain Mata (Mother of the Vedas). Chandha is related the ultimate goal of life. to the Vedas. These revelations of truth by the The same pattern was used by Lord in great sages, are called as such by the seers be- the Gita. There are 18 chapters in the Bhagavad cause they see the truth – Mantradrashtas. They Karma saw the which were revealed to them. Anushtanam that means Karma Shatkam. They There are thousands of Mantras. Because of Gita. The first six chapters are called their sheer volume, one person cannot study all six chapters are called Bhakthi Shatkam, with of them because they are like a huge forest. So, it emphasisemphasise on Karma devotion; (Selfless and the service). last six Thechapters next are Jnana Shatkam, which emphasise the path needsDivine to Missionbe compiled and and the codified. Vedas of Jnana. Similarly, in all our Sathya Sai Centres, Sage Veda who is considered the embodi- there is the same pattern. We have the Service - Wing (Karma Kanda day, there are four Vedas: have Spiritual or Devotion Wing (Upasana Kan- ment of the Lord himself, codified the Vedas. To da) and then we have; Educationselfless service), Wing with then em we- • Rig Veda – hymns on the Lord phasis on study circles, teachings of the scrip- • Yajur Veda – about the Yagnas tures, Vedas, and Swami’s teachings (Jnana • Sama Veda – songs and music Kanda). • Atharva Veda – knowledge storehouse of Divine Mission of Atharvanas Bhagawan Sri Sathya Sai Baba Each of the four Vedas has four parts: Swami’s teachings are the real Vedas of the present time. He declared that His mission is • – means collection of hymns four-fold: • – about rituals and yagnas Veda Poshana: He will support and nurture the • Aaranyakas – contemplation and dialogue of Vedas the highest truth like the Taittiriya : He will support and nurture • Upanishads – the repository of the highest Vidwat Poshana the Vedic Scholars, the people who propagate knowledge (Jnana) the Vedas. He supported them and nurtured Swami has recorded in the Upanishad Vahini them. The greatest example is when Swami that there were originally 1,180 Upanishads. started the Veda Purusha Saptaha Yagna in 1961 - October. Since then, many Vedic scholars came shads were left. Of them, ten Upanishads get to Prasanthi Nilayam and obtained blessings prominenceMany were lost because in time, Adi and Shankarafinally 108 showed Upani and grace from Swami. There are two great Ve- their importance, by writing commentaries on dic scholars in Sai History – one is Brahma Sri them. Swami also included these ten Upani- Kamavadhani who lived till the age of 100 (once shads in His Upanishad Vahini. he came to Prasanthi, he never left Swami’s di- vine lotus feet). He was a great Vedic scholar.

3 The Essence of Veda Chanting

The second one is Brahma Sri Ghandikota Sub- In Prasanthi Nilayam, His residence is named ramanya Sastri. He was the one who gave us the Yajur Mandir. This shows how much importance Sai Gayatri. They stayed with Swami till the end Swami gave to the Vedas and especially, to Yajur and Swami loved and honoured them very Veda and Krishna Yajur Veda. You might have much. This is Vidwat Poshana. heard Swami singing the beautiful ‘Sa- tyam Jnanam Anantham Brahma’ which has its Dharma Sthapana means whenever there is a roots in , part of the Krishna decline in the practice of Dharma, God comes to Yajur Veda. When I started my talk, I chanted establish Dharma. That is Dharma Sthapana. Om Sahanavavatu… Swami gave a lot of impor- Bhakta Samrakshana: He protects the devotees. tance to this Sloka which comes from the Tait- We have all experienced how Swami takes care tiriya Upanishad of Krishna Yajur Veda. of us, protects us and guards us like the eyelids Everything is embedded in various Vedic protect the eye. and Swami came to revive the Vedas. Prior to Thus, Swami declared His mission. In 1961 Oc- Swami, other also protected the Vedas. tober, He started the Veda Purusha Saptaha Yag- Matsya na. During Dussera time. Swami used to conduct this Yagna and had Vedic Scholars come and whenThe first one Avatar of the demonsof Vishnu stole called the Vedas and hid itcame in the in ocean.the form Even of a in fish the and rescued Avatar, the He Vedas pro- Following that in 1962, Swami started a Veda tected the Yagnas, which are part of the Vedas. Pathashala, the Vedas a school and to perform teach the sacrificial Vedas. Later rites. During Krishna Avatar, He taught the Gita which on, Veda learning was introduced to the stu- is the essence of the Upanishads. He says in the dents in His schools and colleges. Vibuthi , the 10th Chapter of the Gita, ve- which means of all the Ve- In September 2003, Swami introduced Veda danam samavedosmi das, I am the Sama Veda. He loved Sama Veda. chanting during regular Darshan time in Pras- (The letter Om it- anthi Nilayam. Prior to that, in the 70s and 80s, Omithyekaksharam Brahma self is Brahman). He gave importance to Aum before Swami came for Darshan, they used to and the Gayatri. Gayatri Chandas is the meter with which the Gayatri is chanted. music. In 2003, Swami introduced - inghave before Darshan He came music, for like Darshan Sitar, fluteand now or other they Significance of Aumkar have the chanting every day in the morning and the evening. In August 2006, Swami did the Ati Maha Yagna. when we chant the Sri uponWhen some we chant of them. the Vedas,First is first the Aumkarwe should which know is Rudram or Rudropanishad or Rudraprashna. mostthe meaning important. of theIt is Vedas.also called I will Pranava touch Upasa briefly- Rudram is composed of Namakam and Cha- na. Pranava Upasana is emphasised in the Upa- makam. If we do, 11 Namakam and 1 Chamakam, nishads and the Vedas, particularly in the Tait- it is called Ekadasha Rudram. We do 11 times tiriya Upanishad, where that section is called that, it becomes Laghu Rudram. Eleven times Pranava Upasana. There is an Upanishad called that, it becomes Maha Rudram. Eleven times , the shortest of all the that, it becomes Ati Rudram in which they chant Upanishads with only twelve verses which talks the Rudram 1,331 times. Swami conducted the about the Aumkar. This Aumkar is so important Ati Rudram in 2006 which was subsequently that who is a great teacher, wrote replicated in Chennai, Mumbai, and other plac- Mandukya Karika, which is a great commentary es. This shows the importance Swami gave to on the importance of the Aumkar. Gaudapada is the Vedas. the of the Guru of Adi Sankara (Adi Sanka- ra is considered an Avatar of Shiva). Adi Sanka- Swami’s residence in Kodaikanal was named ra’s Guru was Govindapada and his Guru was ‘Sai Sruthi’. Sruthi means the Vedas; in Brinda- Gaudapada. van, His residence is named Trayee Brindavan’ and Trayee is the Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama Vedas).

4 The Essence of Veda Chanting

He wrote a commentary in which he said AUM does it protect us from? Gayatri Sarva Dhuka represents the four stages: Waking Stage Pariharini: it takes care of all our miseries and (Jagrath), Dream Stage (Swapna), Deep Sleep sorrows. Sarva Roga Nivarini: it removes all our Stage (Shushupti) and transcendental Stage diseases and Sarva Vaancha Phala Siddhi: it ful- (Turiya). It is also called in the waking stage as - Vishvudu and then in the dream stage as Thejas, - and in the Turiya stage it is called Pragnya. They filssires. all ourThat desires. is So,the it removespower allof our Gayatri. miser are also called Sthula, Sukshma, Karana, and Mantradrashtaies, removes all (seerour diseases, of Mantra) and forfulfils Gayatri our de is Mahakarana, respectively. Pranava Upasana is Sage Visvamitra. very important and unique. It represents the There is a beautiful story about the revelation of sound symbol of the formless God. We may be- this Mantra. Visvamitra was a King called Kau- long to any faith, a worshipper of Vishnu, Vaish- shika. King Kaushika, along with his army went navaite, or a Shaivaite, or a worshipper of the to the of a sage called Vasishta. to pay Mother, or an Advaitin (believe in the Formless), his respects and get his blessings., Vasishta was everybody chants Aum. This Aum is a universal- generous, and told the King “I will feed you and ly potent mantra. That is why Lord Krishna says your entire army”. King Kaushika was surprised, in the Gita that, the people who breathe their and said “How can you feed my army? You just last with the word Aum on their lips, will be one have a little ashram and a little hut”. To his sur- with the Lord. They will have no more cycle of prise, everyone was fed a sumptuous feast. Then birth and death; they will become completely he asked Vasishta, “How did you do that?” Va- liberated. sishta replied that he had a cow called Kamad- That is the power of Aum and that is why Swami henu, which had the power to give whatever introduced the chanting of Aumkar 21 times Supra- wanted to take away the cow. Vasishta said, bhatam. The day’s spiritual programme starts “Thatone asks. is notThen good. King That Kaushika cow inbelongs his selfishness here, to withfirst thing21 Aumkar early. We in the should morning know beforewhy 21 times serve the people”. But King Kaushika being ego- karmendriyas (organs of istic tried to take the cow and in the process was jnanendriyas (organs of percep- defeated by the yogic power of Sage Vasishta. – to clean up pranasthe five Then he made a vow, “I’ll become greater than action), the five Vasishta” in power. So, he did a lot of (pen- tion),(5+5+5+5+1=21). the five (vital airs), the five ance) and initially had many failures. He was (sheaths) and finally to attain the Atma Significance of beauties like Menaka. The second is Gayatri Mantra as this is the most first tempted by power and then by celestial powerful mantra. It is called Gayatri Chandaso- tapas that mata, which means the Mother of Vedas. It has 5 he got darshan of Brahma. He prayed to Brah- parts. Finally,ma, who he made stood him firm a and Maharishi. did so much The King said, “No, I want to become a Brahmarishi, not just a Aum Maharishi”. Brahma said, “I cannot do this, only Bhur Bhuvah Swaha Vasishta can do this”. Visvamitra then proceed- Tat Savitur Varenyam (Adoration) ed to meet Sage Vasishta. When he went to his Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi (Meditation) Ashram, he overheard Sage Vasishta telling his Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat (Prayer) wife, Arundhati that he was helping Visvamitra More information on this can be found on in his spiritual quest. Kaushika realised his mis- https://sathyasai.org/gayatri take and prostrated at the feet of Vasishta. Then, Kaushika instantly got the revelation of the What is the power of Gayatri? Swami said Gayatri Mantra. That is how King Kaushika be- Gāyantaṃ trāyate iti Gayatri, meaning by chant- came Visvamitra, meaning friend of the whole ing which it protects one from everything. What universe; Visva (Universe), Mitra (Friend).

5 The Essence of Veda Chanting Power of Sri Rudram or a dog, or a horse, or an elephant, it is all Lord Third is the Sri Rudram or Rudraprashna or Ru- Shiva. Among human beings, whether a thief, a dropanishad which is a very important part of hunter, a butcher, a carpenter, a jeweler, or a the Krishna Yajur Veda. The Vedas are import- Saint, all are nothing but Lord Shiva. ant, and of them, the heart of the Vedas is the We try to see Lord Shiva in all animate and inan- Yajur Veda and the heart of the Yajur Veda is imate objects, whether they are stones, plants, Krishna Yajur Veda. The heart of the Krishna Ya- animals, or human beings. When we see that ev- jur Veda is Sri Rudram, and the heart of Sri erything is a form of Shiva, then th Shivamayam, Rudram is the 8 Anuvaka we have the highest Jnana. This means th isha- of the 8 Anuvaka is the Panchakshari Mantra vasyam sarvam – all is God; So that is why (Five syllables) “Om Namahand Shivaya”. finally This the isheart the we need to know the inner meaning of these power of the Rudram. Swami has emphasised great Mantras. that just chanting “Om Namah Shivaya” is equiv- alent to chanting the Rudram. The Suktams from Vedas We chant many Suktams from the Vedas, such Sri Rudram has 11 Anuvakas in Namakam and as Medha Suktam and Sri Suktam, where we are 11 Anuvakas in Chamakam. The number 11 is of praying to the Mother to give us knowledge and wealth. Jnanendriyas Karmendriyassignificance in (organs Sri Rudram. of action) In our and lives, the thereelev- I want to explain the Purusha Suktam. There are enthare five is the . If we (organs turn ofthem perception) towards fivethe three parts (Kandas), namely Karma Kanda, Up- world, they cause agitation and grief and when Kanda and Jnana Kanda. The Purusha we turn them towards God, doing good deeds, Suktam is unique because it combines all three. , where it says, of Sri Rudram and Chamakam. “Lord, you are everything, your eyes are every- they give us bliss and joy. That is the significance where,The first your part ears is are the everywhere”. Here we talk We know that there are more than 347 mantras about the glory of God. The second part is the in Chamakam. All of them say “Lord give me Yagna this” which is good because we are asking only from there creation starts. The last part is the God. We pray “give me good grains, give me Jnana , Kanda where (vedāhametaṁ they sacrifice puruṣamahāntam the Purusha and wheat, give me green gram, give me good , ādityavarṇam tamasaḥparastāt) which means give me honey, give me cows”, and we go on ask- Lord I know You are beyond all darkness and ing for different things. We say, “Cha me, Cha are the light of lights. That is the stage we reach me”, which means give me this, give me that, at the end of the Purusha Suktam and then we give me the power to chant the Vedas, do the ya- say, twameva viditva’timṛtyumeti nānyaḥ pan- gnas, all good things and everything of daily ne- thā vidyate’yanāya which means only by this we cessity. attain the Amritatva state, that is immortality, But Namakam is where we adore Lord Rudra not by any other means. it is an Advaitic treatise. In everything around Suktams. Narayana Suktam teaches us medita- us,(Shiva). we see The God: real Sarvam significance Khalvidam of Rudram Brahma, is Sarthat- Wetion. need Whatever to know Suktams the inner we chant, significance we must of dive the . That means, everything is vam Shivamayam deep into them and understand their meaning; permeated by God. He gives beautiful examples whether it is AUM, Gayatri, Sri Rudram, Purusha so that we understand the all-pervading divini- Suktam, Sri Suktam or Medha Suktam. We need ty, whether it is a stone, a hill, a mountain, they are all Lord Shiva. Whether it is a leaf, whether it is a branch, whether it is a plant, whether is it Howto know to their chant inner the significance. Vedas a tree, it is all Lord Shiva. Whether it is a pool, or There are three important points to be observed it is a lake, a river, or an ocean, it is all Lord Shi- when chanting the Vedas. They are intonation, va. Whether it is a little insect, a little microbe, rhythm, and accuracy. Otherwise, it could give

6 The Essence of Veda Chanting the wrong meaning. For example, in Sri Suktam, and Brahman is taught only in the Upanishads. there is a saying, Kssut-Pipaasaa-Malaam Jyesst- thaam-Alakshmiim Naashayaamy-. So in- our daily desires. Purusharthas are four, namely stead of Alakshmi, you say, it would Dharma,The Karma , Kanda and and Upasana , which Kanda means fulfils mean “Lord, I don’t want prosperity”. We should Right Living, Acquisition of Wealth, Good De- be careful, as by chanting wrongly it can convey sires, and Liberation. the exact opposite meaning. So, how we chant From Apara to and what we chant is extremely important. The main part of the Vedas dwell on three as- There are different kinds of chanting like, Kra- pects – Dharma, Artha and Kama and they do ma and Ghana. Different Vedic schools chant not talk much about Moksha. Only the Upani- differently. We should learn to chant the right shads talk about Moksha. That is why, Lord way, from the right teacher. That is why it is Krishna says in , Chapter 2, called Sruthi. It is not just reading. We should Sankhya Yoga, Slokas (verses) 45-46, trai- listen and try to learn the right intonation and guṇya-viṣhayā vedā nistrai-guṇyo bhavārjuna: right way to chant. That is important. Oh Arjuna, Vedas are in the realm of the three Gunas, but one should go beyond the Gunas. Ve- The second aspect of chanting is that it should das are helpful as guideposts in the beginning, be done with sincerity and devotion. We should but we should go beyond the Gunas. Swami, in feel this is an especially important part of His discourse in 1987, talked about the Vedas. knowledge. The third thing to remember is that He said, all Vedas are called Apara Vidya. we should know the meaning. When we under- stand the meaning, we enjoy the chanting. So, in We should study Para Vidya. This is again re- addition to correct intonation, we should chant ferred to in the Upanishads. In the Mundaka with devotion and try to understand the mean- Upanishad, a person by name Shaunaka, asked ing. the Sage , “I want to know that, knowing which everything is known.” (yaṁ labdhvā Some people ask when should we chant these chāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ) Mantras? Swami said that we should chant Then he said there are two Vidyas – Apara Vidya, Gayatri in the morning and in the evening, at Para Vidya. Apara Vidya is all these things, sunrise and sunset, dawn, and dusk, and also namely Vedas, , , Sastras. They during midday. We can chant the Rudram any- are guideposts and help us to purify our heart time, but it is preferable to chant the Rudram in (Chittashuddi) and take us to , one (around sunset) time. These are spec- pointedness. However, Para Vidya is where our , our intense practice will take us to Swami was clear that 4 am to 8 am is Satvic time self-realisation. Upanishads are the repositories (Brahmamuhurtam)ified times, which are; and supposed 4 pm to 8 pm to beis anoth good.- of Atmic knowledge. There are 108 Upanishads er Satvic time; but 8 am to 4 pm is Rajasic time but of them 10 Upanishads have beautiful com- and 8 pm to 4 am is Tamasic time. It is good to mentaries by . do spiritual practices, during Satvic time 4 am to 8 am, and 4 pm to 8pm., But we can sing God’s The four Mahavakyas come from the Upani- name and glory anytime. The scriptures advise: shads. Tatvamasi: “That Thou Art” is from the Sarvada sarvakaleshu sarvatra chintanam: from Sama Veda. This is Think about Hari (God) at all times and in all repeated nine times in this Upanishad (Tat- places because God is Kalaatheethaya, beyond vamasi). Then we realise Aham Brahmasmi time. We can chant all the time (24 hours), but if which is in the in we want to choose, Satvic times are good. the Yajur Veda. Aham Brahmasmi means ‘I am Brahman’. Another Mahavakya is Ayam Atma Why do we do study the Vedas? Brahma which means, ‘I am Atma and Brahman’. The Vedas contain Karma Kanda, Upasana Kan- This is in the Mandukya Upanishad which is da, and Jnana Kanda. The knowledge of Atman

7 The Essence of Veda Chanting from Atharva Veda Pragnanam the values of truth, dharma, peace, and Brahma is from Aitreya Upanishad of Rig Veda. love.)” . Then finally, Swami made these Mahavakyas remarkably He made everything much simpler and easier so simple and summarised them in just one sen- that we can practise it in our daily lives. Another tence in Telugu: important thing that Swami often used to quote is, “Na karmana, na prajaya, dhanena, tyage- “Sarva Granthala Saramella Okka naike amritatvamanasuh.” This is an important Vakyana Cheppudu Okka Sari. Akhila Bhuta- mantra from which means mulandunna Atmaneevu Okkate Ani Manasu- “neither by works, nor by wealth, nor by proge- na Teleyavalyau” ny we can attain immortality. We will attain im- I will tell you in one sentence the summary of all Vedanta and Vedas. “Realise that the same Atma mortality only by sacrifice.” We need to sacrifice which is residing in us is in all beings. The same our time, energy, and talents to serve selflessly. Atma pervades everything, everywhere”. This is the main message of the Upanishads and the Ve- ThenBut Swami we attain gave Amritatva a higher whichmeaning means to sacrifice, immor- das. tality.saying that what we need to sacrifice is our ego. We may know the Upanishads, we may know We all want to be immortal, not in the physical the Vedas, we may know the Puranas, and we sense but in the Atmic sense. How do we do may know the Sastras, but it is more important that? Swami gave a quite simple formula: re- to practise them. Swami said, knew all moval of immorality is the way to immortality. the Vedas (10 heads represents 4 Vedas and 6 Swami thus made the complicated Vedic injunc- Sastras that he knew) and was an expert in tion practical. Just remove the immorality and these areas. He was great in all the arts, scienc- automatically we get immortality. es, and the Vedas but he did not practise them. Swami says, the purpose of spiritual life is He had the weakness of bad desires. Swami Atyantika Dukha Nivritti, Niravadhika Ananda says, it is more important to practise His teach- Prapthi – to get rid of grief and misery, and at- ings. Vedas say: tainment of unending bliss is the purpose of life. Bhadram Karnnebhih Shrnnuyaama Devaah, Buddha searched for truth and attained Nirva- Bhadram Pashyema-Akssabhir-Yajatraah na, which is unending bliss. This Divine Bliss is described in the Taittiriya Upanishad in the See good, hear good, think good. Swami has made it amazingly simple – “think good, think no evil; hear good, hear no evil; speak good, speak no evil; do good, do no evil; this is the way to God.” He made it very simple. Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara, which means Speak the Truth; Practise Dharma. This is the motto in Swami’s school and is from Taittiriya Upanishad. Practice of Vedic Teachings in Daily Life Swami sings Sathyam Jnanam Anantham Brah- ma (which is in the Taittiriya Upanishad) He emphasised the practice of human values in the Bhajan He composed and sang: “Sathya Dharmamu Shanthi Premalatho, Nee Nithya Jeevana (lead your life based on

8 The Essence of Veda Chanting

Anandavalli chapter. How great is this Ananda? We should be Ananda Swaroopa (embodiments We glibly talk about Brahmananda (bliss of of Bliss) because that is what we are. Swami Brahman). We all have Manusyananda (human made all the Vedic , injunctions, and pleasures), which are little pleasures of life and teachings simple, so that it is possible for us to they are the intervals between two pains. But learn and chant the Vedas and practice them. this Brahmananda is many, many, times more Finally, I want to end with the Mantra from Bri- than that. There are so many stages of Ananda hadaranyaka Upanishad. It is a part of the Shuk- (each stage gives 1000 times Ananda of the pre- la Yajur Veda. vious stage): Manusyananda to Gandharvanan- da, then Devagandharvananda, then Pitruanan- ‘Asato Ma Sadgamaya, da, then Brihaspathiananda, then Devananda, Tamasoma Jyothir Gamaya then Prajapathiananda, then Brahmananda. Mrityorma Amritam Gamaya’ We can neither imagine nor even comprehend Which means “Lord lead me from the unreal to that Ananda. The scriptures say Yato Vacho Ni- the real, from darkness to light, from death to vartante, Aprapya Manasa Saha, which means immortality.” “this bliss cannot be expressed in words and neither can be comprehended by the mind.” I thank Swami and all of you for this opportuni- That is why Swami sang the bhajan, “Love is my . form; Bliss is my Food” ty to share these thoughts about the Vedas. ◼

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