by Jayaram V
We have seen in the previous sections that unlike other major
religions,
Hinduism does not rely upon a particular scripture or a revelation
of God for following Truth, though it has a very positive, comprehensive
and multi perspective approach to every thing that is Divine or
connected to the Divine. In this article we will examine how various
scholarly influences and thought processes went into the formation
of this great tradition called Hinduism.
The Main Sources
Over a period of centuries during which it underwent a great
metamorphosis, the religion drew its inspiration from various sources.
Chief among them were: the Vedas, the Upanishads
(which are actually the end portions of the Vedas), the Vedangas,
the Puranas, the Bhagavad gita, the Darshanas,
the Sutras, the two major epics called the Mahabharata and the Ramayana,
the Agamas, the Vaishnava literature, the dharma shastra, karikas,
Bhashyas and so on.
The works of great personalities like Shri
Shankaracharya, Shri Ramanuja, Nimbarka, Vallabhacharya etc.,
also contributed to the revival of the religion and its popularity
at a time when it was passing through great difficulties.
The Vedas
The Vedas are called nigamas, in contrast to agamas of the Shivites.
They are believed to be composed neither by man nor by gods, but
were only revealed. Hence they are called "shrutis" ( those that
are heard) in contrast to "smritis" (those that are remembered).
The vedic Aryans regarded them as timeless (sanatana), revealed
by the Divine for the welfare of the mankind. They are also considered
to be eternal which would remain amidst us as long as the world
would exist and them go back to their source. They form the basis
of Vedic religion out of which Hinduism of today evolved through
gradual phases.
Shri Dattatreya, a manifestation of Lord Vishnu is shown to be
always followed by four dogs who remain at His feet all the time.
These four dogs represent the four Vedas, signifying the fact that
the Vedas would always remain in the service of God, like faithful
dogs and serve His cause.
The men behind the Vedas
These books were composed by rishis in a very ancient past about
whose antiquity we can only make conjectures but no one can say
for sure. According to tradition, they came from the family of the
Angirasas (the family of angels, to use the English terminology).
The Rigvedic hymns were ascribed chiefly to seven rishis. These
seven rishis were Atri, Kanwa, Vashistha, Viswammitra, Jamadagni,
Gotama, and Bharadwaja. They brought to light (as they heard) most
of the hymns of the Rigveda.
The meaning of the Vedas
The word "Veda" is derived from the word "vid" which means to
know. The Vedas are thus books of knowledge. The devout Hindus revere
and regard them as very sacred, as the ultimate source of all their
religious knowledge. It is said that all knowledge can be traced
back to the Vedas in some way or the other. Even today there are
many Hindu zealots who try to trace back many of the modern day
scientific inventions to the knowledge contained in the Vedas. Though
we are not sure how far such interpretations can be considered as
correct.
The Vedas might have been "heard" or composed by different seers
over a great period of time and were handed down from generation
to generation through oral transmission. Since it was essential
to maintain the purity of the hymns, a great emphasis was placed
on the correct chanting of each word in the mantra according to
a particular rhythm to maintain their efficacy during the performance
of the rituals.
The Vedas are four in number namely: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda,
the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. According to one tradition, only
the first three were accorded the status of the true Vedas for a
long time, while for reasons not known to us, it took some time
for the fourth one to join the rank of the rest.
The structure of the Vedas
The Vedas are divided into the following divisions:
The Samhitas, which contain the collection of the original hymns
in praise of various gods and goddesses.
The Brahmanas, which discuss mainly the various aspects connected
with the rituals
The Aranyakas or the books of the forest, which contain information
on the nature and importance of sacrifices and their relation to
man and the universe.
The Upanishads which form the end portions of the Vedas and constitute
the Hindu Philosophy known as Vedanta.
Rigveda, is "the oldest book in the world":
Among the four Vedas, Rigveda ( Knowledge of the Verses) is the
oldest and the most important. It contains 1017 ( according to some
1072 or even 1028) hymns or suktas divided into ten mandalas or
books. These hymns are mostly composed in praise of various gods
and goddesses. The gods and goddess of Rigveda were immortal, all
knowing, who would bestow boons and favors upon human beings and
bless them with their help and support in day to day life, if they
were invoked properly through certain rituals and symbolic sacrifices.
The Vedic Deities
The principal deities referred in Rigveda are Surya (the Sun) who
is also referred as Savitr and Vivasat, Soma (the moon), Agni (fire),
Dyaus (sky), Maruts (storm winds), Prithvi (earth), Vayu (wind),
Apa (water) and Ushas (dawn). In addition there are Indra, Varuna,
Mitra, Aditya, Vishnu, Pushan, the two Asvins, Rudra and Parjanya.
In addition to these gods and goddesses, we also come across Rbhus,
or elves, Apsaras or nymphs, gandharvas or musical spirits, and
even asuras or the demons.
Chief among the Vedic gods who became very popular during the
Rigvedic period was Indra. He is the lord of the heavens, who is
credited with the slaying of the snake demon Vrata to separate the
earth and heaven and release the waters. He also went nearest to
Brahman and tried to understand Him (Kena Upanishad).
It is interesting to note that Vishnu and Rudra who were later elevated
to the status of the Trinity along with
Brahma, were not given a pride of place in the Rigvedic pantheon.
One of the most important hymns of the Rigveda is the hymn of
creation which describes how the worlds and the beings were created
in the universe out of nothingness by tad ekam (That One). The Rigveda
also contains hymns extolling the virtues of Soma juice, derived
from some unknown plant containing intoxicating properties. Reference
also should be made about a rather controversial hymn called "Purusha
Sukta" which describes how the four Hindu castes came into existence.
The other Vedas
The Yajurveda contains knowledge of Yaj or sacrifices. Here the
emphasis is more on the mechanics of performing the rituals for
the invocation of gods, such as the implements to be used and the
offerings to be made by the priests while performing them.
The Samaveda is more lyrical in nature and contains the knowledge
of the chants. The hymns of this Veda are chanted in a prescribed
melody by the priests. It is interesting to note that Lord Krishna
declares in the Bhagavad-Gita that among the Vedas He is the Samaveda
!
The Atharvaveda contains 20 books most of which deal with magical
spells for long life, good health, protection from evil, charms
etc. It also includes several hymns of the Rigveda. According to
some scholars in the Atharvaveda we see a fine amalgamation of vedic
beliefs with certain animist beliefs of the time. Atharvaveda not
only deals with gods and goddesses but also with "dark and demonical
powers" who need to be supplicated and won over. But such scholarly
opinions suggest human design behind the composition of the Vedas
and contradict the shruti tradition, reduce the texts to the status
of mere literary or scholastic works.
The mantra tradition
Reference also need to be made about the mantra tradition. Each
of the Vedic hymns is divided into one or more stanzas which are
called mantras. It is said that the mantras carry within themselves
various spiritual or magical powers which can be unlocked if they
are properly recited using correct pronunciation and with a particular
vibration. Each mantra in order to be effective has to be preceded
by the word OM or AUM
A mantra is a deity by itself. It would come to life the moment
it is properly pronounced. The sound that we generate while chanting
a mantra carries with in it the seed of the deity's energies. Such
energies can be released and directed for a specific cause by chanting
the mantras properly.
If the mantras are not properly chanted they may become counter
productive and generate harmful effects. Hence to achieve appropriate
efficacy the students are expected to concentrate their minds and
energies on the proper recitation of each mantra.
Though on the surface the Vedas appear to be mere invocations
to various gods, they are said to be suffused with a lot of hidden
symbolic significance as revealed by Shri Aurobindo in his book
entitled, "the Secret of the Vedas."
The Upanishads are believed to be at least 350 in number, though
there is a great deal of controversy about their exact number. Some
of them are relatively modern, while some very ancient. They are
the end portions of the Vedas and hence what they teach is appropriately
called Vedanta (the end part of the Vedas.)
They basically deal with the subject of Brahman, the Universal
Self and Atman the individual self and try to answer such riddles
as the true nature of man and his place in and relation with the
universe. More than the Vedas it is the Upanishads which impart
the much acclaimed philosophical depth and mystical vision to Hindu
thought. Important Upanishads are Brihadaranyaka, Chandyoga, Isa,
Aitareya, Taittiriya, Katha, Prashna, Kena, Mundaka, Mandukya, Svetavatara.
You can go to our section on
Upanishads
to know more about each of these upanishads.
Suggested Further Reading
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