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The Vedas are part of the Hindu Shruti — these religious scriptures form part of the core of the Brahminical and
Vedic traditions within Hinduism. Strictly the word 'ved' is singular, 'veda' is plural, but traditionally the word
is given in English as 'veda' with the standard added 's' for plural. In Sanskrit the word means Knowledge or Truth.
Origins of the Vedas
Many Hindus believe that the Vedas were transmitted, via an oral
tradition, for perhaps 8000 years (Fisher). Many Western and other Indian commentators see this as an exaggeration, dating the earliest part of the Veda, the
Rig-Veda Samhita, to around 1800-1500 BCE. However, it is acknowledged by most that
the Vedas did indeed have a long oral tradition and were passed on from teacher to disciple for at least many centuries before
first being written down, which has led to some estimates that the earliest parts of the Vedas' may date back to 2500 - 2000
BCE.
According to tradition, the hymns of the Rig-Veda Samhita were collected and arranged by Paila under the supervision of
Vyasa. Hymns which were particularly chanted during religious and social functions of the
community were compiled by Vaishampayan under the title Yajus mantr Samhit. (Yajur-Veda). Jaimini is said to have collected hymns that were set to music and melody — 'Saman'.
(Sama-Veda). The fourth collection of hymns and chants known as Atharv Sanhita
(Atharva-Veda) is ascribed to Sumantu.
The Vedas are acknowleged to be the world's first recorded scripture, and are perhaps the oldest consistent and complex body
of knowledge detailing astrology, astronomy, ritual practice, and how these relate to the spiritual life of humanity.
The Four Books of the Vedas
The Veda contain hymns, rituals, and mantras. There are 4 Vedas: the Atharva-Veda, Rig-Veda, Sama-Veda, and the Yajur-Veda; the last three are referred to
as the "Threefold Ved". The Arthava-Veda is often deemed to be significantly less
authoritative. It is sometimes argued that there is a fifth Veda, the Vedanta. The original text of the Veda is known as the Samhita. However the Samhitas are supplemented by many commentaries and explanations, forming the 'Shruti' as a
whole. The most developed of these commentaries, the Upanishads, engage in
philosophical speculation about the implications of the ancient invocations and rituals recorded in the Samhitas. Thus the Vedas
are structured rather like a venerated work of classic literature supported by elaborate footnotes and introductory essays
explaining its hidden complexities.
In the traditional Hindu understanding, Vedas are said to be non-personal and without beginning or end. This means that the
truths embodied in the Vedas are eternal and that they are not creations of the human mind.
The four Vedas Rigveda, Yajurveda,
Samaveda and Atharvaveda are
divided into four sections:
- The Samhitas - Contains the mantras and hymns
- The Brahmanas - The ritualistic teachings
- The Aranyakas - The meditational section
- The Upanishads - The mystic and philosophical section, also known as
Vedanta, or the end of the Vedas, implying the culmination of Vedic thought; since
the time of Adi Shankaracharya they have exerted the most active influence on
Hindu thought
The religion of the Vedic period, particularly at its earliest, was distinct in a number of respects, including reference to
females in positions of religious authority (female rishis, or sages), an apparent lack of belief in reincarnation, and a
markedly different pantheon, with Indra generally the chief god, and little mention of the later primary gods Vishnu, and Shiva,
although Brahma does appear quite frequently.
While Hinduism is generally monistic or monotheistic admitting emanating deities, the early Rig Veda (undeveloped early
Hinduism) was what Max Müller based his views of henotheism on. In the four
Vedas, Muller believed that a striving towards One was being aimed at by the worship of different cosmic principles, such as
Agni (fire), Vayu (wind), Indra (rain, thunder, the sky), etc. each of which was variously, by clearly different writers, hailed as
supreme in different sections of the books. Indeed, however, what was confusing was an early idea of Rita, or supreme order, that
bound all the gods. Other phrases such as Ekam Sat, Vipraha Bahudha Vadanti (Truth is One though the sages know it as many) lead
to understandings that the Vedic people admitted of fundamental oneness. Attempts even at monism were attempted by subordinating
other gods to singular entities or gods of supreme power, three most notably being Vishwakarma, Indra and Varuna, though Indra
was the most eulogized as supreme in his 200 Rig Vedic verses. From this mix of monism, monotheism and naturalist polytheism Max
Muller decided to name the early Vedic religion henotheistic. He decided that while polytheism did not fit with views so clearly
admitting of fundamental unity, monism in his opinion was not yet fully developed.
This, however, is clearly a one-man view. Extremely advanced, indeed unprecedented and thitherto unduplicated ideas of pure
monism are to be found in the early Vedas, notwithstanding clearly monist and monotheist movements of Hinduism that developed
with the advent of the Upanishads. One such example of early Vedic monism is the Nasadiya hymn of the Rig Veda: " That One
breathed by itself without breath, other than it there has been nothing." To collectively term the Vedas henotheistic, and thus
further leaning towards polytheism, rather than monotheism, is to ignore the clearly monist bent of the Vedas that laid the
foundation for the Upanishads as early as 1000 BCE.
Cosmogony of the Vedas
The Vedic view of the world and cosmogony sees one true divine principle self-projecting as the divine word, Vaak, 'birthing'
the cosmos that we know from the monistic 'Hiranyagarbha' or Golden Womb, a primordial sun figure that is equivalent to Lord
Surya. The varied gods like Vayu (of wind), Indra (King of Gods), Rudra (the Destructive element), Agni (Fire, the sacrifical
medium) and the goddess Saraswati (the Divine Word, aka Vaak) are just some examples of the myriad aspects of the one underlying
nature of the universe.
External Links
See also: pandit
References
- Fisher -- Living Religions (5th
Edition -- 2002), p.82
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