Gods of the Veda

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Gods of the Veda Gods of the Veda SRI AUROBINDO KAPALI SHASTRY INSTITUTE OF VEDIC CULTURE #63, 13th Main, 4th Block East, Jayanagar Bangalore – 560 011 Phone: +91-80-26556315 Email: [email protected] Web: www.vedah.org Gods of the Veda TABLE OF CONTENT Agni Indra Soma Sarasvati Bharati, Mahi, Ila Vishnu Surya and Savitr Bhaga, Savitri Vayu Indra and Agastya Rudra or Shiva Varuna Rbhus Vishvedevaha Aditi Ashvins Ganapati Maruts Usha Pushan ™ SAKSIVC Page 2 of 167 Gods of the Veda Agni Agni, brief view Agni, the mystic fire Agni Vaishvanara Agni, the initiator Agni as a friend Agni Jatavedas Agni, the illumined will Agni, brief view Devas in the Veda form a hierarchy with Surya, the spiritual Sun at the head. However the number of hymns in RV dedicated to Surya is small. But Agni has about 200 hymns and Indra, 250 out of about one thousand. The reason for the prominence of Agni and Indra is that human beings in their quest towards the all-sided perfection need the help of Agni and Indra much more and hence pray for them more often. The analogy is that of a student who spends more years at the pre-university level than in the university level itself. The contribution of every rishi in the Rigveda begins with several hymns to Agni, then to Indra and then to the other devas. The RV begins with a hymn to Agni. According to tradition, the japa or conscious repetition of this hymn reveals the knowledge this deity stands for. Agni in the Veda is not merely the fire on the vedic altar or even the deity behind this physical fire. The ordinary fire is a source of heat and light which prompted the vedic sages to symbolise the deity of spiritual Light and spiritual Force by the word Agni. The physical flame gives light all through the night amidst darkness and it impels human beings to study or work otherwise. Similarly the Divine Power of Agni is residing in every human being who is full of ignorance and in conscience pushing him or her towards progress. Agni is the Divine Power of will united with wisdom, denoted by the word kratu. It is not desire; but it embraces desire and surpasses it. In the Veda Agni is essentially Knowledge or Light taking the form of force. Agni is the mental force, will power, necessary for all action. It is Agni who makes the Divine knowledge of the Supreme Sun accessible to human beings. He has many other functions, particularly the force of concentration tapas, SAKSIVC Page 3 of 167 Gods of the Veda commonly called as austerity or mistranslated as penance. He is the force of combustion in the cosmos and also the fire in the stomach jataragni who digests the food in man. In the RV Agni is said to reside hidden in the cave of the heart, guha. The ordinary human being in his outward activities is unaware of the presence of Agni. Still Agni prompts him/her on the journey. After a long time, Agni, makes the outer being become aware of the Divine force Agni within. This important event is described as the birth of Agni. He is said to be born in man, jajnana, janayan in hundreds of verses. Many translators mistake this phrase, ‘birth of Agni’ as the birth of Agni in the cosmos during the process of Creation. RV refers to the birth of Agni in every human. Agni and other devas are called twice born dvijanma, the first birth being in cosmos, the second in human. Depending on the response of the outer being of the human, the force of Agni, the divine will-force becomes stronger and stronger. Agni is pictured repeatedly as residing within and giving his direction. The worshipper develops a close relationship to Agni like that of son to father, friend, spouse etc. Agni reciprocates with the corresponding feeling. In the RV, the devas perform not only the cosmic actions of maintaining all life, but also the individual actions, the credit for which performance is claimed by the humans. It is the devas who make the crops grow, trees blossom, digest food in humans and so on. But, human beings take the entire credit. RV views every action as a collaborative effort between the devas and the humans, the human role being nominal or subsidiary. This collaborative action is called as yajna, which is not a mere rite. Bhagavad Gita in Chapter 4 reaffirms the vedic view of yajna. The first hymn in RV states that Agni is the master of yajna. He is repeatedly referred to as the performer of yajna. Often the rishis request Agni to perform the yajna and worship the other devas on their behalf. In the Vedic ritual, there are three types of priests, adhwaryu, the controller of path, hotr caller and the udgathr, singer. These three names denote distinct functions which Agni himself does. Agni guides our path to perfection at every step, hence he is the director of the yajna. Agni calls all the other devas to manifest in the human being, each deva developing a particular aspect of force in the human. Hence, Agni is the caller of the devas. He is also called the duta, the messenger of the humans to the devas, to request the latter to vitalize the human. Thirdly he is called the singer because he empowers the human being to express his aspiration to the Divine and devas by singing the hymns. Thus Agni the caller himself becomes the speech to be sung. In RV, the chief method of spiritual practice is the chanting of the hymns. This idea is repeated in the Aitareya Upanishad (1.2.4) SAKSIVC Page 4 of 167 Gods of the Veda by the statement, “Agni becoming speech, vak”. This phrase makes no sense at all if we have not studied the Rig vedic concept of Agni. Agni propels the human aspirant towards perfection and hence is said to create the perfected being, the rishi. Agni, the mystic fire Even a perusal of the 253 titles of the mantras in this book will convince the readers that whatever Agni is, it cannot be described as a simple fire in the fire- altar or even a forest fire. The ninth verse in the first hymn is a prayer to Agni ‘cling to us like a father a son’. We know the effect of the physical fire clinging to us! Again the same hymn, in verse seven, states that obeisance or salutation to Agni is done by thought. In the first verse, Agni performs the yajna; there is no mention of a human priest performing the yajna. The phrase, ‘kindling of Agni’, does occur as the title for the verse RV (1.26.5), verse 5 of hymn 26. Before we jump to the conclusion that this verse implies the kindling of the physical fire by a human, we have to read the qualifying phrases in the same verse, "The Gods Mitra and Varuna kindle Agni.'' Mitra is the Divine Force associated with friendship and harmony, Varuna with all vastness, including the vastness of the physical ocean. Again in RV (1.12.5), there is the Sanskrit word ghrta, one of its meanings being melted butter, commonly poured into fire. The reader can read the discussion on this verse and convince himself/herself that to preserve the consistency of all the phrases in that verse, the alternative meaning of clarity of thought to ghrta is more appropriate. The general impression conveyed by the titles of the verse and later by the translations is that Agni is a Divine Force endowed with consciousness. The epithet Kavi or seer, or one who has supraphysical visions, is commonly used for Agni. Agni manifests his power in human beings as the commonly used epithet, ‘born in man’, implies. He summons the other divine powers also to manifest in man, hence the name summoner for Agni. Agni can be approached by thought as well by the recitation of the mantra. The rishi prays to the conscious power Agni, not merely for physical wealth like cows, but, all-round felicities, opulence and ultimately for the supreme knowledge and bliss. It is possible for a human being to enter into a conscious relationship with Agni like a friend, spouse, father, son, SAKSIVC Page 5 of 167 Gods of the Veda etc. We see in Rigveda the beginnings of the yoga of devotion, bhakti yoga, described in later scriptures like Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, the works of the ancient South Indian poets, alwars and nayanmars etc. The last hymn in this collection (1.99) is a prayer to Agni to carry us over all obstacles as in a boat to the shores of Supreme Bliss and Knowledge. Some of the most poetic and lyrical hymns in the Rigveda are the nine hymns RV (1.65-1.73) by Sage Parashara. They have a wealth of similes for Agni which are easily understandable only if Agni is understood as a benevolent cosmic divine personality. In RV (1.65.5), we find the simile, ‘Agni sits amidst waters and breathes like a Swan'. Because of the mantra ‘I am He', aham sahwhich in repetition or japa becomes hamsa, there is an intense association between persons in deep mediation and the bird hamsa or swan. These epithets to Agni remind us very much of the epithets used in the litanies to describe the Goddesses, as in Lalita Sahasra Nama (thousand names of Lalita). Obviously these epithets make no sense to translators like Griffith, who insist on regarding Agni as a physical fire.
Recommended publications
  • Chapter 2 the Epic in Ancient Greece and in Ancient India
    CHAPTER 2 THE EPIC IN ANCIENT GREECE AND IN ANCIENT INDIA Though the main focus of the present study is going to be characterization, it nnust be borne in mind that characterization in an epic narrative will not have the same complexion as characterization, say, in a novel or a play. It will be appropriate, therefore, to focus in this chapter on the nature of the epics under study. Greece and India are blessed by the epic muse for they are the only ones who produced full-length oral epics that reflect the throbbing heart and soul of the people of ancient times. Other countries like England, France, Germany, Norway and Finland have their epics of the medieval age such as Beowulf. Le Chanson de Roland. Nibelunaenlied. the Edda and the Saga, and Kalevala respectively. Epics belong to the 'heroic age' and their heroes fight bravely for fame and/or to save their people from some demon or other dangers. Physical strength and valour are of supreme importance to these epics as they deal with warfare. The epics of Greece and India possess all these characteristics but they are different from the medieval epics because they go far beyond this and reveal nobility of character portrayal and a tragic awareness of life. The Iliad, the Odvssev. the Vaimiki Ramavana. and the Mahabharata are in a class of their own owing to these rare qualities. Lascelles Abercrombie rightly says in his The Epic that the reading of The Faerie Queene or Divina Commedia is not in the least like the experience of reading of Paradise lost or the Iliad.
    [Show full text]
  • A Study of the Early Vedic Age in Ancient India
    Journal of Arts and Culture ISSN: 0976-9862 & E-ISSN: 0976-9870, Volume 3, Issue 3, 2012, pp.-129-132. Available online at http://www.bioinfo.in/contents.php?id=53. A STUDY OF THE EARLY VEDIC AGE IN ANCIENT INDIA FASALE M.K.* Department of Histroy, Abasaheb Kakade Arts College, Bodhegaon, Shevgaon- 414 502, MS, India *Corresponding Author: Email- [email protected] Received: December 04, 2012; Accepted: December 20, 2012 Abstract- The Vedic period (or Vedic age) was a period in history during which the Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism, were composed. The time span of the period is uncertain. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the Rigveda, the oldest of the Vedas, was com- posed roughly between 1700 and 1100 BCE, also referred to as the early Vedic period. The end of the period is commonly estimated to have occurred about 500 BCE, and 150 BCE has been suggested as a terminus ante quem for all Vedic Sanskrit literature. Transmission of texts in the Vedic period was by oral tradition alone, and a literary tradition set in only in post-Vedic times. Despite the difficulties in dating the period, the Vedas can safely be assumed to be several thousands of years old. The associated culture, sometimes referred to as Vedic civilization, was probably centred early on in the northern and northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent, but has now spread and constitutes the basis of contemporary Indian culture. After the end of the Vedic period, the Mahajanapadas period in turn gave way to the Maurya Empire (from ca.
    [Show full text]
  • A Review on - Amlapitta in Kashyapa Samhita
    Original Research Article DOI: 10.18231/2394-2797.2017.0002 A Review on - Amlapitta in Kashyapa Samhita Nilambari L. Darade1, Yawatkar PC2 1PG Student, Dept. of Samhita, 2HOD, Dept. of Samhita & Siddhantha SVNTH’s Ayurved College, Rahuri Factory, Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra *Corresponding Author: Email: [email protected] Abstract Amlapitta is most common disorders in the society nowadays, due to indulgence in incompatible food habits and activities. In Brihatrayees of Ayurveda, scattered references are only available about Amlapitta. Kashyapa Samhita was the first Samhita which gives a detailed explanation of the disease along with its etiology, signs and symptoms with its treatment protocols. A group of drugs and Pathyas in Amlapitta are explained and shifting of the place is also advised when all the other treatment modalities fail to manage the condition. The present review intended to explore the important aspect of Amlapitta and its management as described in Kashyapa Samhita, which can be helpful to understand the etiopathogenesis of disease with more clarity and ultimately in its management, which is still a challenging task for Ayurveda physician. Keywords: Amlapitta, Dosha, Aushadhi, Drava, Kashyapa Samhita, Agni Introduction Acharya Charaka has not mentioned Amlapitta as a Amlapitta is a disease of Annahava Srotas and is separate disease, but he has given many scattered more common in the present scenario of unhealthy diets references regarding Amlapitta, which are as follow. & regimens. The term Amlapitta is a compound one While explaining the indications of Ashtavidha Ksheera comprising of the words Amla and Pitta out of these, & Kamsa Haritaki, Amlapitta has also been listed and the word Amla is indicative of a property which is Kulattha (Dolichos biflorus Linn.) has been considered organoleptic in nature and identified through the tongue as chief etiological factor of Amlapitta in Agrya while the word Pitta is suggestive of one of the Tridosas Prakarana.
    [Show full text]
  • The Significance of Fire Offering in Hindu Society
    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ISSN : 2277-7881; IMPACT FACTOR - 2.735; IC VALUE:5.16 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7(3), JULY 2014 THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FIRE OFFERING IN HINDU THE SIGNIFICANCESOCIETY OF FIRE OFFERING IN HINDU SOCIETY S. Sushrutha H. R. Nagendra Swami Vivekananda Yoga Swami Vivekananda Yoga University University Bangalore, India Bangalore, India R. G. Bhat Swami Vivekananda Yoga University Bangalore, India Introduction Vedas demonstrate three domains of living for betterment of process and they include karma (action), dhyana (meditation) and jnana (knowledge). As long as individuality continues as human being, actions will follow and it will eventually lead to knowledge. According to the Dhatupatha the word yajna derives from yaj* in Sanskrit language that broadly means, [a] worship of GODs (natural forces), [b] synchronisation between various domains of creation and [c] charity.1 The concept of God differs from religion to religion. The ancient Hindu scriptures conceptualises Natural forces as GOD or Devatas (deva that which enlightens [div = light]). Commonly in all ancient civilizations the worship of Natural forces as GODs was prevalent. Therefore any form of manifested (Sun, fire and so on) and or unmanifested (Prana, Manas and so on) form of energy is considered as GOD even in Hindu tradition. Worship conceives the idea of requite to the sources of energy forms from where the energy is drawn for the use of all 260 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH ISSN : 2277-7881; IMPACT FACTOR - 2.735; IC VALUE:5.16 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 7(3), JULY 2014 life forms. Worshiping the Gods (Upasana) can be in the form of worship of manifest forms, prostration, collection of ingredients or devotees for worship, invocation, study and discourse and meditation.
    [Show full text]
  • 09 Chapter 4.Pdf
    ^v< V.? yiwiilcicb - TjgjrcfT ^gH[K ^ ^. 5c5T?T I n?T t^Mt^ 3Tg^ 'Riddles In Hinduism' ^m\ ^JJ^ 3g^n^ 'i^d^lri^H ^Sgn' ^ ^TM% ^ 3TT%. rH g^^PT ^?T 'What Congress & Gandhi have done to the untouchables' W^ TO^ Sl^^n^ '#TO 3#^ Tjy^ ^ arW^TRTret ^bUJ ^?' ^ ^TRH ^ 3T[|. I ^P#?t ^?T ^^iRcb (<I^MM ^#cT. ?JM yiHlPlcb OT^FT 3TT?. ^^T^ 'Riddles In Hinduism' m ^^ng^ i^oicioi f^TTW W^ ^. ?T ^^T ^^trlRfd 3#. ^ Tjgjjn yiHlRHcb RltlK^I cSR?T #5% 3TT%rT. | f^raR 'TTT^r 'HiRlchiHI :3^:R?Icy cfT%T W^ ^Tr<nfl^^T^ ~!^ fM 'qra^ ^3^^ ^?IT% Jirrst 373^ ^ 3#?T . ^ €f .^ .^T . ^^fr ^TTSTT ag^nfer ^T]%^?TraT 3?«mT ^nr^^w^ ag^KM m^^*jRt ^5FT 3TTI F qr?^ ^'IMI qr^t^ f^^ f^^ ^^ m^ ^roft ^^^ TM^ 37TlrT, frf^T ^qfajT M(W<id1d ^MU'df ^ 'iTf%^ ^n^iRT f^f^ #3^ Wm\. Vim ^^rlR^RsId ^ 3s ^<;'J|cb^l PjcbRtd ?TT^^q7w gfer w^Mid i^ cn^JT^T^m^^TT 3TO w ^^M^y wm^t ^WM flHRHft ^(TW^ RRFT #3FT 5TFfMPM# ^ ^m'lirr ^^TFMT . ^^^ 3T^TT WR ^TTM 3fR ^^T^ '*TraT M^R^d 3TT%^ . 31FI^^ 'tfRrr ^^TRTET 3R^ 'tTM ^T^ff^qr ^ffTrTIrT. ^I^<:bl ^JIFT 3T^ cJMTJWeqT W^Mldt:! 3TT|rT • rijiri^iMcb) g^ -qmig^ ^JT^^ PiRdVi ?r^ ^^fFMt 3W. ^^ .^^m^, TT^^, 'JT^, ^^TFTrft ^. '^^ WS^mmr^ "HltiidRd H^HId^ ^J!f]Tm ^nS ?TMt '3^ . ^^foJ IT^ 'RT^ 5TR 3T^ 31T^JfEZTT afHoM 31% ^T?T ^. ^^ mX^?TT a^rTTXPsfRT m<h\rM\ ^qm fIR 3T^ awfew ?TM 3TT% • chl'J|d"l6l '*^mT FT 5lHI^I, R|r||(N|, ^T^^cTTciT ^^ scfT 3TW.
    [Show full text]
  • Vaishvanara Vidya.Pdf
    VVAAIISSHHVVAANNAARRAA VVIIDDYYAA by Swami Krishnananda The Divine Life Society Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India (Internet Edition: For free distribution only) Website: www.swami-krishnananda.org CONTENTS Publishers’ Note 3 I. The Panchagni Vidya 4 The Course Of The Soul After Death 5 II. Vaishvanara, The Universal Self 26 The Heaven As The Head Of The Universal Self 28 The Sun As The Eye Of The Universal Self 29 Air As The Breath Of The Universal Self 30 Space As The Body Of The Universal Self 30 Water As The Lower Belly Of The Universal Self 31 The Earth As The Feet Of The Universal Self 31 III. The Self As The Universal Whole 32 Prana 35 Vyana 35 Apana 36 Samana 36 Udana 36 The Need For Knowledge Is Stressed 37 IV. Conclusion 39 Vaishvanara Vidya Vidya by by Swami Swami Krishnananda Krishnananda 21 PUBLISHERS’ NOTE The Vaishvanara Vidya is the famous doctrine of the Cosmic Meditation described in the Fifth Chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad. It is proceeded by an enunciation of another process of meditation known as the Panchagni Vidya. Though the two sections form independent themes and one can be studied and practised without reference to the other, it is in fact held by exponents of the Upanishads that the Vaishvanara Vidya is the panacea prescribed for the ills of life consequent upon the transmigratory process to which individuals are subject, a theme which is the central point that issues from a consideration of the Panchagni Vidya. This work consists of the lectures delivered by the author on this subject, and herein are reproduced these expositions dilating upon the two doctrines mentioned.
    [Show full text]
  • And Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet
    Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2012 The Raven and the Serpent: "The Great All- Pervading R#hula" Daemonic Buddhism in India and Tibet Cameron Bailey Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES THE RAVEN AND THE SERPENT: “THE GREAT ALL-PERVADING RHULA” AND DMONIC BUDDHISM IN INDIA AND TIBET By CAMERON BAILEY A Thesis submitted to the Department of Religion in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Religion Degree Awarded: Spring Semester, 2012 Cameron Bailey defended this thesis on April 2, 2012. The members of the supervisory committee were: Bryan Cuevas Professor Directing Thesis Jimmy Yu Committee Member Kathleen Erndl Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii For my parents iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank, first and foremost, my adviser Dr. Bryan Cuevas who has guided me through the process of writing this thesis, and introduced me to most of the sources used in it. My growth as a scholar is almost entirely due to his influence. I would also like to thank Dr. Jimmy Yu, Dr. Kathleen Erndl, and Dr. Joseph Hellweg. If there is anything worthwhile in this work, it is undoubtedly due to their instruction. I also wish to thank my former undergraduate advisor at Indiana University, Dr. Richard Nance, who inspired me to become a scholar of Buddhism.
    [Show full text]
  • Special Double Issue on Sri Aurobindo's Savitri, a Legend and A
    Summer & Fall 2011 Journal of the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother Vol. 36, Nos. 1-2 Special double issue on Sri Aurobindo’s Savitri, A legend and a symbol Summer & Fall 2011 Collaboration • 1 About the cover “Creation of the gods.” This is a grayscale copy of a painting by Shiva Vangara done in Alkyds, Table of contents the most advanced colors from Winsor and Collaboration, vol. 36, nos. 1-2, Summer & Fall 2011 Newton, London. Throughout this issue we fea- ture Shiva’s fine paintings, many of which are based on Savitri. These paintings and others can be viewed in all their exquisite colors on From the office ofCollaboration his blog: http://visionsoncanvas.blogspot.com. Notes on this issue ............................................................Larry Seidlitz 3 The authors and poets Current affairs Anurag Banerjee is the founder and chairman of the Overman Foundation (see http://overman- Sri Aurobindo Learning Center .................................................... Swaha 4 foundation.wordpress.com). His email address is: Auromesa Center ........................................................... Tizia O'Connor 5 [email protected]. The Passing of Amal Kiran (K.D. Sethna) ...................Anurag Banerjee 6 Arabinda Basu, a member of the Sri Aurobindo Ashram, is a philosopher and scholar of Integral Briefs .................................................................................................. 710 7 Yoga, and editor of the journal Gavesana (Quest for Light). He has taught and lectured on comparative philosophy and religion internationally. AV almanac Kalpana Bidwaikar (kalpanacb@rediffmail. About Savitri Bhavan ......................................................Muriel Ghion 8 com) is an Assistant Professor of English at the Col- lege at Bilaspur (Chattisgarh State). She also lec- tures on the vision and works of Sri Aurobindo and Chronicles the Mother in Chattisgarh and Delhi.
    [Show full text]
  • Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy
    Essays on Indian Philosophy UNIVE'aSITY OF HAWAII Uf,FU:{ Essays on Indian Philosophy SHRI KRISHNA SAKSENA UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESS HONOLULU 1970 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 78·114209 Standard Book Number 87022-726-2 Copyright © 1970 by University of Hawaii Press All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America Contents The Story of Indian Philosophy 3 Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy 18 Testimony in Indian Philosophy 24 Hinduism 37 Hinduism and Hindu Philosophy 51 The Jain Religion 54 Some Riddles in the Behavior of Gods and Sages in the Epics and the Puranas 64 Autobiography of a Yogi 71 Jainism 73 Svapramanatva and Svapraka!;>atva: An Inconsistency in Kumarila's Philosophy 77 The Nature of Buddhi according to Sankhya-Yoga 82 The Individual in Social Thought and Practice in India 88 Professor Zaehner and the Comparison of Religions 102 A Comparison between the Eastern and Western Portraits of Man in Our Time 117 Acknowledgments The author wishes to make the following acknowledgments for permission to reprint previously published essays: "The Story of Indian Philosophy," in A History of Philosophical Systems. edited by Vergilius Ferm. New York:The Philosophical Library, 1950. "Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Are There Any Basic Tenets of Indian Philosophy?" in The Philosophical Quarterly. "Testimony in Indian Philosophy," previously published as "Authority in Indian Philosophy," in Ph ilosophyEast and West. vo!.l,no. 3 (October 1951). "Hinduism," in Studium Generale. no. 10 (1962). "The Jain Religion," previously published as "Jainism," in Religion in the Twentieth Century. edited by Vergilius Ferm.
    [Show full text]
  • Panchadashee – 05 Mahavakya Vivekah
    Swami Vidyaranya’s PANCHADASHEE – 05 MAHAVAKYA VIVEKAH Fixing the Meaning of the Great Sayings MODERN-DAY REFLECTIONS On a 13TH CENTURY VEDANTA CLASSIC by a South African Student TEXT Swami Gurubhaktananda 47.05 2018 A FOUNDATIONAL TEXT ON VEDANTA PHILOSOPHY PANCHADASHEE – An Anthology of 15 Texts by Swami Vidyaranyaji PART Chap TITLE OF TEXT ENGLISH TITLE No. No. Vers. 1 Tattwa Viveka Differentiation of the Supreme Reality 65 2 Maha Bhoota Viveka Differentiation of the Five Great Elements 109 3 Pancha Kosha Viveka Differentiation of the Five Sheaths 43 SAT: 4 Dvaita Viveka Differentiation of Duality in Creation 69 VIVEKA 5 Mahavakya Viveka Fixing the Meaning of the Great Sayings 8 Sub-Total A 294 6 Chitra Deepa The Picture Lamp 290 7 Tripti Deepa The Lamp of Perfect Satisfaction 298 8 Kootastha Deepa The Unchanging Lamp 76 CHIT: DEEPA 9 Dhyana Deepa The Lamp of Meditation 158 10 Nataka Deepa The Theatre Lamp 26 Sub-Total B 848 11 Yogananda The Bliss of Yoga 134 12 Atmananda The Bliss of the Self 90 13 Advaitananda The Bliss of Non-Duality 105 14 Vidyananda The Bliss of Knowledge 65 ANANDA: 15 Vishayananda The Bliss of Objects 35 Sub-Total C 429 WHOLE BOOK 1571 AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY THE STUDENT/AUTHOR The Author wishes to acknowledge the “Home Study Course” offerred by the Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF) to students of Vedanta in any part of the world via an online Webinar service. These “Reflections” are based on material he has studied under this Course. CIF is an institute for Samskrit and Indology research, established in 1990 by Pujya Gurudev, Sri Swami Chinmayananda, with a vision of it being “a bridge between the past and the present, East and West, science and spirituality, and pundit and public.” CIF is located at the maternal home and hallowed birthplace of Adi Shankara, the great saint, philosopher and indefatigable champion of Advaita Vedanta, at Veliyanad, 35km north-east of Ernakulam, Kerala, India.
    [Show full text]
  • Life After Death in the Ṛgveda Saṁhitā*
    chapter 8 Life after Death in the Ṛgveda Saṁhitā* The information on life after death provided by the oldest Vedic text is rather scarce. In the most recent handbook on Vedic literature (1975c, 138f.) and in his handbook on Vedic religion (19782, 98, 181) Gonda only incidentally referred to the situation of the deceased in the Ṛgveda Saṁhitā (ṚV). There is no system- atic treatment of “Leben nach dem Tode” (19782, 10, mentioned without further comment). However, Oldenberg extensively discussed the early Vedic ideas on life after death in his handbook of Vedic religion (19172, 523ff.). It is strange that Olden- berg’s views on the places of the dead were neglected by most scholars with the exception of Arbman (1927b, 1928). Oldenberg’s ideas may be summar- ized as follows. In the ṚV we find references to heaven and hell, the abodes of the minorities of elite and criminals. The more original conception of afterlife would have concerned a dark realm lying under the earth, but different from hell.1 Traces of the original conception of an underworld would be discernible in later Vedic texts and even in the ṚV itself. It was especially in this second edition that Oldenberg emphasized the original character of Yama’s world as a subterranean realm of the dead.2 Arbman (1927b, 342–345) discussed “Die Jenseitsvorstellungen der rigvedis- chen Dichter nach der Auffassung der abendländischen Forschung” and stated that most Indologists assumed that the future of the deceased would consist of either heaven or hell (the latter sometimes being replaced by total anni- hilation).
    [Show full text]
  • Gate 3 Το Πόμολο Είναι Ένα Καλλιτεχνικό Project Που Ξεκίνησε Το 2000 Με Σκοπό Να Ολοκληρωθεί Σε 7 Τεύχη-Πύλες
    ”pomolo” means door-handle gate 3 Το πόμολο είναι ένα καλλιτεχνικό project που ξεκίνησε το 2000 με σκοπό να ολοκληρωθεί σε 7 τεύχη-πύλες. Μην το αναζητήσετε στα περίπτερα δεν θα το βρείτε πουθενά, διατίθεται μόνο σε φίλους, Curry spices, mango chutney, Taj Mahal, Gilgamesh δωρεάν, σε ηλεκτρονική και χάρτινη μορφή. epic, Rabindranath Tagore, Shiva and Parvati, Mather Ganga, Sadhus, Sarees, Rajasthan jewelry, Lord Pomolo is an art project which started in Ganesh, pujas, Kumbh Mela, sitar, The Blue City of 2000, and the aim was to be completed in Jodpour, textiles, herbs, medication for everything, 7 issues-gates. Don’t look for it, you will meditation, Teacher Osho… (and also Priyanka not find it at the news stands, it is only Chopra, Nitin Chauhan…) and of course the magic shared with friends, for free, as an e-zine word Namaste! or printed. These are some keywords that first come in my mind πόμολο#3 © Κυριακή Χατζησάββα when I think of Mother India. But She is more than Σχεδιασμός: Κυριακή Χατζησάββα Εκτύπωση: Snowflake that. She is the most multi-faced country in the world, Φεβρουάριος 2017 in fact She is a whole planet by Herself. pomolo#3 © Kyriaki Hadjisavva I still remember the day I bought my first “payal*” Design: Kyriaki Hadjisavva when I was a little girl… these little bells sounded so Printing: Snowflake February 2017 exotic to my ears… I remember I bought them for Above: Lord Ganesha. Right: a “very serious reason” and I had this idea that the Goddess Lakshmi with Owl. (Owl is indians used them for the same reason: to warn the the sacred symbol of greek goddess ants that a human is coming along so they move of Wisdom Athena… the greek away and not get smashed under the human feet! female Ganesha!?) I was so compassionate with all creations of God even the smallest… I still am.
    [Show full text]