Rgveeda

Rgveeda is considered to be the oldest and the most basic of all veedic works. It includes the Rgveeda saMhita and the following braahmaNa-s, araNyaka-s and upaniSat-s:

braahmaNa-s: aitareeya and kauSiitakii
araNyaka-s: aitareeya and s'aaMkhaayana (or kauSiitakii)
upaniSat-s: aitareeya and kauSiitakii upaniSat

Structure:

There are two ways in which the structure of Rgveeda has been depicted. The aSTaka method has been devised mainly to facilitate memorization while the maMDala system is a topical division. The first and the eighth maMDala contain the suukta-s of s'atarcin-s and pragaatha-s respectively. The maMDala-s two to seven contain suukta-s revealed to the RSi-s of a particular lineage. For example, second maMDala contains suukta-s revealed to the RSi-s of the gRtsamada lineage and those in the third were revealed to the descendants of vis'vaamitra. The suukta-s of the ninth maMDala are all in praise of the deity sooma pavamaana and are further classified according to their metres. The last maMDala includes a miscellany of suukta-s mostly dealing with metaphysical topics.

Recensions:

Rgveeda is said to have 21 s'aaka-s but only the following five, named after the sages who got them, are extant. The differences are mostly limited to order of arrangement of the suukta-s.

1. s'aakala
2. baaSkala
3. aas'valaayana
4. s'aaMkhaayana
5. maaMDuukeeya

The viSNupuraaNa declares (3.4.21,22) that s'aakala created five s'aakha-s and gave them to his five disciples mudgala, gaalava, vaatsya, s'aaliiya and s'ais'iriiya.

RSi-s:

The word RSi is derived from the root RS meaning knowledge or movement. God himself came (movement) and gave the knowledge they were seeking and so these sages and seers are called RSi-s. However, a veedic RSi may not always be a maMtradraSTa, the original seer of a maMtra. Those who used it first, those who expounded its meaning and significance, etc. may also be included. The number of RSi-s in Rgveeda is large. Many of them were women: ghooSaa, goodhaa, vis'vavaaraa, apaalaa, juhuu, saramaa, roomas'a, and so on. According to tradition, a veedic maMtra should not be recited without the knowledge and utterance of the RSi, the chaMdas (metre) and the deity to whom it is addressed.

s'atarcin-s are RSi-s to whom a hundred or more Rk-s were revealed. maadhyama-s got less. kSudrasuukta-s are propagators of minor suukta-s. mahaasuukta-s were propagators of bigger or more important suukta-s. RSi-s are also classified into mahaRSi-s (great RSi-s), RSi-s (often son's of mahaRSi-s), RSiiika-s (sons of RSi-s) and s'rutarSi-s (famous RSi-s). Several kula-s (vaMs'a or dynasties) of RSi-s have been noted in the puraaNa-s. bhRgu, aMgiirasa, kas'yapa, atri, vasiSTa, vis'vaamitra, agastya are some of these famous originators of long dynasties. jamadagni, dadhya, aatharvaNa, cyavana, RSabha, vaamadeeva, garga, raibhya, paraas'ara, vyaasa and devaraata are some of the famous RSi-s coming from such dynasties.

Deities: Most of the suukta-s of the Rgveeda are hymns of prayer addressed to one of the deities. There are 33 deities: the 8 vasu-s, the 11 rudra-s, the 12 aaditya-s, iMdra and prajaapati. agni, as'vin-s, sooma, suurya, varuNa, vaayu, viSNu, vis'veedeeva-s and yama also appear frequently. uSas, raatri, vaak, sarasvatii and pRtvii are some of the feminine deities. Inanimate objects such as the grinding stone, abstract qualities like faith and emotions like anger have also been deified. agni, pRthvii and bRhaspati relate to the Earth. iMdra, vaayu, parjanya, rudra and maruts operate in the antarikSa. varuNa, mitra, savitR, suurya, puuSan, aaditya-s, uSas and as'viniideevata-s operate in the dyaus. Contrary to common perception, the veeda-s do not preach polytheism. Rgveeda asserts that God is one and the deities are only various aspects of the one and only God (1.164.46, 7.58.2, 10.114.5) Nor is this a primitive form of nature worship. The western mind has often failed to understand the symbolic value of these deification and their interpretations are literal and superficial.

Literary Grace: The Rgveeda is not just the oldest scripture in the world, it is also the oldest literary masterpiece - more than 10,000 verses set in beautiful metrical style. There are 15 different metres used but 7 of them occur more often. triSTubh, gaayatrii and jagatii are the most frequent. The description of the beauty of maruts (5.54.11) and uSas (1.92.4), of her 'cruel' nature (1.92.10), of the as'vin-s (2.39.2-7), the conversations between puruurava and uurvasii (10.95), yama and yamii (10.10), agastya and loopaamudraa (1.179), vis'vaamitra and the nadi-s (3.33), agni and the gods (10.51), the soliloquy of a gambler unburdening his piteous condition (10.34) are all enchanting. The uurvas'ii-puruurava saMvaada reveals the deep mutual love and attachment in a married couple. The yama-yamii saMvaada brings out the glory of mature spiritual wisdom and its victory over carnal passions. The agastya-loopaamudraa saMvaada depicts the duty of a householder to have worthy offspring. The rivers vipaaT and s'utudrii (Beas and Sutlej) were pleased with the prayers of vis'vaamitra and king sudaasa and obliged by lessening their flow. Rgveedic descriptions of heroism, beauty of nature, humility, devotion to God, war-scenes, etc. are the precursors to the navarasa-s. Just as a huge banyan tree starts off as a tiny seed, the entirety of human thought is contained in the veeda-s, albeit in a seed form at times.

Commentaries: There are several commentaries on the veeda-s. These commentaries are very much useful in properly interpreting and understanding the veeda-s. See veeda-s page.

Philosophy: Some scholars have misinterpreted Rgveeda as suggesting polytheism. Although many deities are talked off, these are not separate and independent gods in constant conflict with one another like the Greek gods. That they are all different aspects or facets of one and the same Supreme Being is asserted in Rgveeda itself at several places (1.164.46, 7.58.2, 10.114.5) It interesting to note that in Sanskrit there is really no distinction between adjectives and nouns. Objects are named in terms of their key properties and thus the same object can have many names, each signifying a different property. A Tree is called paadapa because it absorbs water from its root (paadeena pibati - drinks from its feet), it is also called ruha because it grows and keeps growing (rohati), and so on. Simple nouns like Earth, Sun, and water have dozens of names, not arbitrary sequences of letters of the alphabet or arbitrary sequences of sounds, but each signifying a particular property. It would be wrong to conclude that these are all different objects. The light giving property of the Sun, the heat giving property, the ability to make day and night, are all different aspects of the same Sun. The veedic deities are to be understood the same way.

Worshipping Sun, water, or air is not a form of primitive nature worship. It is not the H2O molecules of water which we pray. It is the divine essence in the form of water that makes life possible that is worshipped. Two thirds of earth is covered by water. Life originated in water. A major part of your body is nothing but water. Can you live without water? Once we learn to understand and respect this divinity, we can never imagine polluting major sources of water with city refuse or harmful chemicals from the Industry. Once you see God in water, how can you ever imagine dumping garbage, chemical wastes or urinating on its face? The entirety of human suffering facing us in the world today is because we have failed to recognize the innate divinity in everything in this world both animate and inanimate. A proper understanding of the veeda-s is the one and the only sure, lasting solution to all problems of the human race.

The single Supreme God has been referred to by different appellations such as aatmaa (self, 1.115.1), chaayaa (light, 5.44.6), deeva (Being of light, 10.121), hiraNya-garbha (golden egg, the ellipsoidal universe, 10.221.1), ka (prajaapati, 10.121), pitaa (father, 10.81.1), puruSa (Being, 10.90.2), savitaa (Sun, Creator, 3.62.10), tvaSTaa (one who shapes, 3.55.19), veena (10.123), vidhaata (giver, 10.82.3) and vis'vakarmaa (creator of the world, 10.82.2). iMdra, varuNa and agni have also been praised as the Supreme Lord.

God alone existed before creation of the world we see and he is the creator, protector and ruler of this world (10.221.1-4, 10.82.1-6,10.129). He does these out of his own free will. He is both the upaadaana (material cause) and the nimitta (efficient cause). He is not only immanent in the world (because he has created it out of himself) but also transcendent. He is himself everything he has created (10.81.1, 10.5.7, 10.82.1). The process of creation is described in the famous suukta-s hiraNya-garbha suukta (10.221.1-4), the puruSa suukta (10.90) and the naasadiiya suukta (10.129). This is in agreement with the process of creation described in the upaniSat-s too.

Rgveeda describes the great qualities of god such as omnipotence (3.59.1, 1.24.6), ruler-ship (8.93.11), omniscience (6.51.2), transcendence (6.47.15), brilliance (8.81.51), cosmic form (1.13.10), inner controller (1.67.34) and incomparability (6.21.10). He is a great friend and protector of devotees (1.75.4, 6.7.7), generous (10.80.1), and adorable (2.35.12).

The prayer for attaining the immortal world (ptRlooka, the world of the manes) (10.16) shows the belief in eternal soul and an eternal world. However, there is no direct discussion on the nature of individual soul in relation to the supreme soul.

The aim of life is to attain God (6.31.4). It is our sins that keep us away from this goal and we must pray for forgiveness (1.24.14) and for guidance to move on the path of righteousness (8.45.34, 5.82.5).

The spiritual pursuit is through faith in Him as the only support of life (8.45.20), prayer for guidance in the path of truth (10.133.6), prayer for spiritual wisdom even before old age (1.71.10), prayer for getting the service of the Lord always (6.45.9), appeal for eternal protection (8.1.13, 8.61.17), devotion as the best means (8.70.3), and intense longing to see Him (6.3.4).

The body merges into the five elements after death, freeing the soul to move to the ptRlooka ruled by yama, carried there by agni, to live happily ever after there. The vedaaMtic concept of mookSa is not directly visible.

Society: Rta, the cosmic law, which gave rise to the later formulation of the concept of dharma, was the driving force at the Rgveedic times. What is good for the whole universe, not just for ourselves or our local worlds, is what we must do and we must eschew what is bad for the universe as a whole. This is the concept of Rta, and interpreted this way, it has immense value to everybody at all times.

The religious system of yajnya-s was widely practiced to forge a strong relationship with the veedic gods. There is no evidence of image worship or temples, although some scholars opine that group prayers might have existed (1.80.9). Life here and now was given great importance and they never despised life. This life here gives us a great opportunity to lead a proper life, pursue the higher goal of life, leading to a glorious life after death. People prayed for a strong body, pure sense organs and long life (1.8.98, 3.53.18, 2.21.6). They attached importance to moral and ethical values in personal and social life (9.73.1, 9.73.6, 8.31.13).

Earning wealth by the right means and sharing the good things in life with others, especially the less fortunate ones, through daana (5.24.2, 2.21.6, 3.14.6) was emphasized. daana was eulogized (10.107.2, 10.117.3-4).

vivaaha-suukta (10.85) gives us the veedic concept of marriage. Marriage was considered as a saMskaara (sacrament) and women had an honourable place in the family, both as wife and as mother (10.85.27,44). A woman could choose her husband under certain circumstances (10.27.12) and a widow (probably childless) could re-marry, the groom being the younger brother of her husband (10.40.2). sahagamana (a widow dying on the funeral pyre of her dead husband) was a symbolic ritual. Both monogamy and polygamy were practiced. Father was the head of the family. Couples hankered for male offsprings but daughters were never looked down upon.

Both cremation and burial were in vogue. The division of society into the four varNa-s had been established. braahmaNa-s wielded influence on society by their intellectual and spiritual power.

People lived in villages and towns, often protected by forts (1.114.1, 7.3.7). Agriculture and dairy farming were the main occupations. Carpentry (9.112.1), smithy (9.112.2), medical profession (9.112.1), weaving (6.9.2), ship building (10.101.2) and leather work (7.63.1) were practiced. Good methods of irrigation was known (3.45.3, 7.49.2).A high standard had been achieved in food, clothing, decorative materials, weapons, use of animals like cows, horses and elephants etc. Music and dance were major modes of entertainment (10.18.3). Contrary to opinions aired by western writers, the veedic society had already achieved a high degree of civilization. Man has lived for some five hundred thousand years on earth and everything great could not have happened in the last two thousand years or so.

References to great kings and heroes, their valiant deeds in battles and wars are seen. Drinking and gambling, thieves and robbers find mention. Diseases and protection from them find mention. Eating meat was common. Drinking the sooma juice in sacrifices was eulogized.

The claims made by some that the veedic society was underdeveloped, primitive or barbaric are baseless. India had achieved great heights in civilization and culture a ten thousand years ago or even much before that. It is unfortunate that the people of today's generation do not even know the greatness of our own past and are carried away by the sheen and glitter of a the hollow, superficial, unsound western thought and practices.

Conclusion: The veeda-s are the root, the base, the very foundation of all of Indian thought, both secular and spiritual. No Indian, why, no human being seriously interested in any branch of human knowledge can afford to ignore this glorious tradition of India, depicting as it does the most profound Truths valid for all times past, present and future. Come to India or remain ignorant as ever. Thanks to modern technology, it is now far easier for you to get at least some idea about our glorious past and the great promise it holds for the future. Human life is a great opportunity. Make the most of it.