Swami Explains the Vedas

Sadhaka: All those who are loyal to Bharatiya [Indian] cul­ture accept the Vedas as authoritative sources for every aspect of life. They assert that the Vedas are the roots of their faith. What exactly does Veda mean? For what reason has the Veda acquired such impor­tance?

Sai: My dear fellow! Born in India, that is Bharat [India], parading yourself as a Bharatiya, you are not aware of what Veda means! Well, Veda is the name for a mass of divine knowledge. Veda teaches the truth that cannot be revised or reversed by the passage of time through the three stages—past, present, and future. The Veda ensures welfare and happiness for the three worlds. It confers peace and security on human society. The Veda is the collation of words that are truth, which were visualized by sages who had attained the capacity to receive them into their enlightened awareness. In reality, the Word is the very Breath of God, the Supreme Person. The unique importance of the Veda rests on this fact.

Sadhaka: But in the field of worldly life, on the daily, material stage, what light can one expect from the Vedas?

Sai: Every being that lives in the world strives to possess what it desires and avoid what it dislikes. Know that the Veda instructs how to succeed in both these endeavors. That is to say, it lays down what has to be done and what should not be done. When these prescriptions and prohibitions are followed, one can earn the good and avoid the evil. Veda is concerned with both the material and the spiritual, both this world and the beyond. If truth must be told ‘all Life is Veda-filled’. One cannot but observe its injunctions. ‘Veda’ is derived from ‘vid’ that means ‘to know’. So Veda means and includes all knowl­edge—jnana. Man is distinguished from other animals by the jnana that he is endowed with. Devoid of jnana, he is but a beast, a pashu.

Sadhaka: They say, the Vedas are numberless, without end (ananta). Are they all full repositories of jnana?

Sai: “Ananto vai Vedaah—The Vedas are infinite”. But note that in the beginning there was just one Veda. Later it was dealt with as three and subse­quently as four.

Sadhaka: Why was the one divided into many? What special need was met thereby?

Sai: Since the Veda was vast and limitless, it was difficult for ordinary men to study it. Moreover, it would take endless time to complete the study. So those who wished to learn were overwhelmed by fear. Very few showed earnestness to study the Veda. For these reasons, something had to be done to make the study within reach of all who sought to learn. The Rks or hymns of praise in the Veda were therefore separated from the rest and grouped under the title, Rk-samhitha, the Yajus-samhitha, the Saama verses (capable of musical rendering) were grouped under the title Saama-samhitha and the Atharva mantras (formulae and spells) were collected under the title Atharva-samhitha.

Sadhaka: Who was the person who grouped them in these collections?

Sai: It was Vyasa [the sage], who was a partial manifestation of Narayana (God, Vishnu) Himself. He was the son of Sage Paraashara. He had mastered the scriptures and spiritual treatises. He was a great sage himself. He was a skillful coordinator. In order to promote the welfare of mankind, he compiled the Vedas in four parts and facilitated righteous living by all. He divided the Vedas into four and prepared five samhithas.

Sadhaka: The four Vedas are the four samhithas, as you explained now. What purpose does the fifth serve? How did the extra one arise?

Sai: The Yajus-samhitha (Yajurveda) has separated itself into two, the Krishna-Yajurveda-samhitha and the Shukla-Yajurveda-samhitha. So the total became five. The process did not stop there. Each of these samhithas developed three separate complementary components. These scriptural texts emerged in order to enlighten people in different states of awareness and different levels of consciousness. The purpose was to enable everyone to benefit by the guidance and cross the sea of suffering. Therefore, there is no trace of conflict in any of these texts.

Sadhaka: What are those three elaborations, those three subsidiary texts called?

Sai: Brahmanas, Aranyakas, and Upanishads.

Sadhaka: What are Brahmanas?

Sai: They are explanatory texts dealing with mantras or ritual formulae. They describe clearly the sacrificial rites and the ceremonies that have to be observed while performing them. There are many texts like Aitareya Brahmana, Taithiriya Brahmana, Sathapatha Brahmana, and Gopatha Brahmana.

Sadhaka: And what are Aranyakas?

Sai: They are in verse and prose. They are mainly intended for the guidance of those who after passing through the stages of Brahmacharya (spiritual stud­ies) and grahasthya (family life), assume Vanaprastha (life as recluse in forests). Aranya means ‘forest’. That is to say, these are texts to be pursued and meditated upon silently in lonely hermitages. They deal with the duties and responsibilities of the final stage of active life (karma kanda), the stage preliminary to the totally spiritual stage (Brahma Kanda).

Sadhaka: Swami! I have heard the term ‘Brahma Kanda’ being used for some texts. What does it relate to?

Sai: Those texts are concerned with sacrificial rites as well as rules of right conduct. They deal with the special features of ceremonial rituals and special elaborations of moral codes.

Sadhaka: And Swami, what are Upanishads?

Sai: They can be mastered only by intelligent dis­crimination (viveka). They deserve to be so mastered. Four goals are laid down for humans in the scrip­tures: dharma (righteousness), artha (prosperity), kama (moral desire), and moksha (liberation). Vidya or learning can be classified under two heads: The apara (lower) and the para (higher). While the four Vedas, the earlier portion of ancient scriptures, deal with the apara (the first three goals), the later portion of the same, the Upanishads, deal with the para (the last among the goals).

Sadhaka: But how did the word Vedanta arise?

Sai: These Upanishads themselves form the Ve­danta. Memorizing the Vedas is of no avail. Vedanta has to be understood and assimilated. Knowledge can never reach consummation until Vedanta is mastered.

Sadhaka: Swami! The Vedas are often referred to as Shruti, why?

Sai: The Vedas have nine names by which they are denoted. Shruti is only one of the nine.

Sadhaka: What are those nine?

Sai: Shruti, Anusrava, Thrayee, Aamnaaya, Naamaam­naaya, Chhandas, Swaadhyaaya, Aagama, and Niga­maagama.

Sadhaka: Each of these names must be indicating some distinct feature. I desire to know how those names arose and what those features are. Please instruct me.

Sai: Of course, those names have inner meanings. Shruti means ‘that which has been heard’. The guru chants the Vedic hymn, the pupil listens with one-pointed attention, and reproduces it with the same voice modulations. This process is repeated until the pupil masters each hymn. Hence, the name shruti is relevant. The name Anusrava also means the same, ‘that which has been heard serially.’ Now, the word Trayee means ‘the three’. In the beginning there were three collations only in Vedic scriptures—the Rg Veda, the Yajur, and the Sama Veda. These three alone were considered important. So this word was used and it has stayed.

The word ‘Aamnaaya’ is derived from the root ‘mnaa’, which means ‘learn’. Since the Vedas had to be learnt continuously and in a steadfast manner, they were collectively known as “Aamnaaya” and also as “Namaamnaaya”.

‘Chhandas’ means a poetic meter, which can be set to music, as in Sama Veda. So the Vedas themselves were indicated by that name.

The name Swaadhyaaya was applied to the Vedas since they were handed down from father to son and from generation to generation by the proc­ess of teaching and learning (Swaadhyaaya).

Aagama means ‘that which has come or origi­nated.’ ‘Nigamaagama’ is an elaboration of the same word. The Vedashave originated from the Breath of God; each syllable is sacred. Each word is a mantra. The Vedas are all mantras.

Sadhaka: Mantra? What does ‘Mantra’ mean?

Sai: Mantra is the exposition of the goal that is set; that is to say, it is that which prompts and promotes manana or probing through the mind. ‘Man’ syllable indicates the process of probing and the syllable ‘tra’ means “the capacity to take across, to liberate, to save.” In short, mantra is that which saves when the mind dwells upon it. While rites and ritual sacrifices are performed, the person has to remind himself constantly of their nature and significance. The formulae he has to repeat to achieve this end are mantras. But today those who perform these rites either recite them mechanically or allow them to roll on the tongue. They pay no attention to the meaning of the mantra. When mantras are uttered rigmarole, they yield no fruit! The person can reap full reward only when he recites them with the knowl­edge of the meaning and significance. Each Veda has many ‘saakhas’ and the total direction and purpose of each ‘saakha’ has also to be known by the Vedic scholar.

Source: Leela Kaivalya Vahini