Unknown facts about Vedas begin with understanding what it actually means and where did it come from with stories and sometimes written proofs given to us in indian mythology , Good morning everyone, and welcome to another interesting post with SpiderJaal. Today’s post will enlighten you about one of the oldest written texts in the whole world, a text that not only discusses technology but also spirituality, ideology, rules, ethics, documentation, case studies, and whatnot.
Texts that are so vast that it’s blowing to know that they can be dated back to almost 2000 B.C. When human civilization was just starting in other regions, across the world were some ‘Seers’ who not only knew how to write but had recognized the power of knowledge and the way to preserve it for centuries. Today’s topic will stretch your mind and deepen your vision about the spiritual history of not just the Sanatana/Hindu religion but mankind itself.
The Vedas are the foremost spiritual texts when we consider Hindu/Sanatan ideology. The word “Veda” originates from the term “vid,” meaning “to know.” It is also worth noting that the Vedas were not written down for thousands of years but were orally taught to disciples by their teachers as a means to attain total and utmost spiritual knowledge.
Who wrote the Vedas?
Vedas, as we know them today, did not exist in written form till 2000 B.C. (estimated by scientists and philosophers). Traditionally, the Vedas were more of the oral knowledge given to disciples by their teachers.
According to popular belief, the Vedas as a whole are not the work of a single person but a compilation of thousands of years of experiences in the spiritual advancement of several learned and enlightened beings. However, the great seer Vyaasa is considered the compiler of the texts, which means he is not the originator but the editor of the heavenly texts.
Where did the Knowledge in the Vedas come from?
There are several beliefs about where the knowledge in the Vedas came from. Some believe that the Vedas originated from God himself, while others believe the Vedas, like a part of god, were born of him like heat from the sun. Some believe that the supreme knowledge, recipes, and instructions in the texts originated from the elements.
Although the origin of the Vedas is a mystery with several beliefs, it is agreed by both that the Vedas are a direct gift from god to men, hence they are regarded with the greatest honour.
An interesting story about the Vedas:
According to Hindu mythology, during the time of the creation of the world, there emerged three entities. The creator, The Propagator, and The destroyer, all three entities had a purpose to serve. As the creator of the universe, “lord bhrama” needed two things, Knowledge and Energy, which he did not have. So, he went to Lord Vishnu (The propagator of life), asking for help in his noble cause. Vishnu, in turn, advised going to Lord Shiva (The Destroyer). On reaching the abode of Lord Shiva, who was in a deep meditative state, and on sensing the arrival of the two, he opened his eyes slowly.
Brahma and Vishnu explained the situation to Lord Shiva, and he separated his shakti (the feminine energy) from his body. Although this was astonishing, the problem remained as Shakti had emerged in a combined form of Wealth (Goddess Lakshmi), Knowledge (Goddess Saraswati), and Energy (Goddess Adi-Shakti). Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva pleaded to Shakti (Para Para Shakti) to separate herself into forms useful for creation, propagation, and destruction, and hence Brahma was married to Goddess Saraswati.
After the marriage, the first task was to create the world, sages, demigods, life, civilization, and laws, but a way to attain the blessings of the gods was still missing, and hence from each face of Bhrama (4 faces) emerged a single Veda, which traditionally is believed to contain the knowledge of the whole cosmos, its creation, and how can one become one with the ultimate devine.
Number of Vedas? And their significance?
The bounty of knowledge is said to be divided into four. The first and foremost is the Rig-Veda, which is also the oldest. The “Rig” comes from the term Raga, which means “to sing” or “hymns” in praise of God.
The second in line is the famed Yajur-Veda. The “Yajur” comes from the term Yaj, which means “sacrifices” and “austerities” to get the grace of the divine himself.
The third is the Sama-Veda. The “Sama” comes from the term Saman, which means “same in comparison”; compared to the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda gives mantras to beget the same output as that of the sacrificial practices.
The last and the most recent one written is the Atharva-Veda. Written by a great sage, “Rishi Atharva”. This text is a compilation of new and modern techniques for a spiritual seeker to attain divinity.
What do the Vedas contain?
Each of the Vedas contains two parts: a Sanhita, a collection of hymns and Mantras, and a Brahmana, which contains rituals and illustrations, which stands in somewhat the same relation to Sanhita as the body of Jewish civil and ceremonial law and legend comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara. With each Brahmana is a Upanishad, i.e., containing secret and mystical doctrines. Upanishads are regarded as having lesser authority than mantras or Brahmanas, while they are spoken of as shruti, the heard. In contrast, the Upanishads are regarded as smriti, the learned.
Based on older versions, if any discrepancies arise in the texts, the recent versions are rejected. The Sanhita and Brahmana are generally for Brahmans, whereas the Upanishads are for the philosophical spiritual seekers.
An interesting story:
Yajur-Veda’s history is very different compared to the other three, as there is a story of difference of thought and opinion in the same school of ideology; this difference in Yajur-Veda came to be recognised and was separated by the names of Black and White-Yajur-Veda.
According to legends, a disciple of Vyaasa, Vaisampanyana, who had received the knowledge from him, committed an offense and wanted his disciples to accompany him in an expiatory act. One of them, however, Yajnavalkya, suggested performing the whole rite alone himself. Offended by the arrogance of his student, Vaisampanyana cursed him to disgorge all the Yaju texts he had taught him, other desciples having been transformed to trittis (patridges) collected these texts and safeguarded them.
Yajnavalkya was still desirous of attaining these texts and did a severe penance to Surya (the sun god) and asked for a boon of possesing a text whose knowledge even his teacher did not posses, hence white-Yajur-ved was formed (black is considered the older one)
I hope you liked this post, I will be back with some other interesting posts soon till then stay strong, stay healthy and keep reading some more interesting posts only on SpiderJaal.
