The Rig-Veda

 

In making a study of Yoga, it does not take long to realize that what you are dealing with is the real stuff, the essence of what is available and important to know as a human being. There is a level of timelessness and relevance in Yoga that strikes at the heart of who we are. What we may not realize is exactly how ancient and deep are the roots of the Vedic culture that underlies Yogic philosophy. Recent studies are showing that Vedic culture has been in a continuum that pre-dates Egypt (and certainly any Western civilization), and has had a profound influence on world culture.

 

The most ancient written book in Sanskrit, or any other Indo-European language, is the Rig-Veda, possibly the oldest book in the world. Prior to its being written, it was transmitted orally for generations by Vedic Priests or Brahmins, who memorized every syllable of what is considered to be divine revelation. While the exact date of the writing of the Rig-Veda is unknown, recent research has debunked a Eurocentric theory of an invading fair-skinned “Aryan” culture crossing the Eurasian steppes, bringing the Sanskrit language and Vedic knowledge to India in 1500-1200 B.C. Recent archeological discoveries refute the verity of the "Aryan Invasion” and scholars now agree on a lower limit of 2000 B.C. for the composition of the Rig-Veda, and many are willing to bet that it is much older than that. Certain hymns in the Rig-Veda point to astrological formations in the period of 2000-6000 B.C (1). 

 

The Rig-Veda consists of 10 chapters or mandalas comprising 1,028 hymns and 10,589 verses whose order has been fixed since time immemorial (2), and laid out according to an astronomical plan (3). The Rig-Veda is shruti or sacred revelation and each hymn can be considered a mantra. Two important mantras from the Rig-Veda are the Sri Gayatri, (III.62.10) and Maha-Mrityunjaya (VII.59.12) which are still in use in modern Hinduism and have gained popularity in the world arena as Yoga and the Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Truth as espoused in the Vedas) gains popularity.

 

As a purely literary achievement, the hymns in the Rig-Veda are highly developed, strictly metered poems whose intellectual insight shows a greater sophistication than the earliest Greek works considered to be the highpoint of the ancient Western world. From a scientific view, the Rig-Veda shows a complex understanding of cosmology, psychology, astronomy, mathematics, medicine and psycho-physiological functions. From a spiritual standpoint, the worldview in the Rig-Veda is unsurpassed in scope, inclusiveness and directness in expression of the relationship of humans to the gods. In the Vedas the “…life of the symbol corresponds so intimately with the truth it clothes that it is indeed the living form of that truth (4).”

 

‘Rig’ or ‘rik’ (changed to ‘rig’ for more euphonious pronunciation) means literally ‘praise’ and what is found in these hymns is praise for the Divine. The verses of the Gayatri Mantra exemplify this nicely:  “Om! We glorify and adore the Supreme Divinity in the form of the effulgent Sun, Creator of Earth, Ether and Heaven. May that Supreme Consciousness inspire and illumine our mind and understanding (5).” 

 

On a superficial reading, one might think these praises and rituals were solely for material benefit of the society which produced them, but as Sri Aurobindo points out in his introduction to Hymns to the Mystic Fire, “…the ancient mystics were …  men who believed that by inner means outer as well as inner results could be produced, that thought and words could be so used as to bring about realisations of every kind, -- in the phrase common in the Veda itself, -- both the human and the divine (6).”

 

Reading and reflecting on passages in the Rig-Veda, capacity and understanding grow and with some effort, we are rewarded with insight into the Vedic way of seeing; the hymns begin to sing themselves. “The Gods are not simply poetical personifications of abstract ideas or of psychological and physical functions of Nature. To the Vedic seers they are living realities; the vicissitudes of the human soul represent a cosmic struggle not merely of principles and tendencies but of the cosmic Powers which support and embody them (7).”

 

The resonance that may be felt with Yoga and Yogic traditions is perhaps the rediscovery of ancient tribal memories of living life for and with the gods and goddesses as depicted in the Vedas. For me, it’s like finally finding the road that leads home after a long, weary journey.

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(1)    Feuerstein, Georg, Kak, Subhash, Frawley, David.  In Search of the Cradle of Civilization.  Wheaton:  The Theosophical Publishing House, 2001. P. 105.

(2)    Trikha, Dr. J.K., Rig Veda: A Scientific and Intellectual Analysis of the Hymns.  Bombay:  Somaiya Publications PVT, Ltd, 1981, p. 16.

(3)    Feuerstein, p. 201.

(4)    Ibid., p. 174. (a quote by James Newton Powell).

(5)   Translation from:  Bhagavati Sri Sri Sri Vijayeswari Devi, Sri Gayatri,The Inner Secrets

(6)    revealed. New York:  SMVA Trust, Inc., 2004.

(7)    Sri Aurobindo, Foreward to Hymns to the Mystic Fire.  Retrieved from:   

       http://www.mountainman.com.au/rghmf__a.htm on September 7th, 2006.

(8)    Sri Aurobindo, Doctrine of the Mystics.  Retrieved from:

       http://www.mountainman.com.au/rghmf__b.htm on August 31st, 2006.