The echoes of ancient Indian wisdom can be heard from the oldest of scriptures that existed many years ago. Even thousands of years before they were written down on palm leaves, the teachings were passed on from generations to generations, from the teachers to the disciples in their oral form. These works are amongst the oldest of humanity. They laid the foundation of one of the most tolerant and diverse religions in the world, the Sanatan Dharma or Hinduism, which is marked by a wide range of ethos and philosophical approaches.
Covering the vastness and immensity of the ancient Indian scriptures is akin to capturing a gigantic ocean in a small pitcher. Thus, in this book, the author has tried to catch a few \'echoes\' resonating with age-old wisdom and has presented them to the readers. The book unravels the knowledge hidden inside the Samhitas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads of the Shruti that form the Vedas, and in the Smriti like Agamas, Dharma Shastras and so on. In short, it provides a glimpse, or rather a macro view of the ancient treasure of India.
...The Vedic deities represent not only the forces of Nature but also the forces present in the physical body. For achieving spiritual perfection, one has to strengthen the divine forces in oneself. At the same time, the evil forces symbolised by the demons are to be slaughtered.
...The seven horses tied by the snakes which draw the chariot of Surya (Sun) mentioned in the Rig Veda represent the seven columns forming light and the movement of the sunrays. Modern Physics has proved that the sunrays travel in a curved manner. The snakes with which the seven horses are tied to the chariot represent the curved movement of the rays of the Sun.
...According to science, the world is embraced by the concepts of time and space. The Vedas advocate that truth can be realised only by freeing oneself from the concepts of time and space. This is possible when we turn our gaze inward, in which we forget ourselves as in a deep sleep.
...The true meaning of the concept of animal sacrifice in the Vedas is that Gods must be invoked by means of the sacrifice of the animal in us and bring forth the Agni by chanting the powerful mantras.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr (Mrs) Shantha N Nair, M.A, Ph.D, is a retired Reader and Head of the Department of Economics, S.P.W. College, Tirupathi, Andhra Pradesh. She has written several articles in subject journals, published Learners\' Dictionary of Economics, translated a few religious books from Tamil to English for the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD), co-authored a book entitled A Garland of Gems of Wisdom for a Happy and Successful Life and has authored books entitled Stories from Srimad Bhagavatham, Sri Rama —The Lord Incarnate and Sri Krishna —The Poornavatar. Her recent book The Holy Himalayas — An Abode of Hindu Gods has been widely acclaimed.
CONTENTS:
Preface
1. Shruti and Smriti
Shruti
Smriti
2. The Vedas — Origin, Content, Shakhas and Structure
Origin of the Vedas
Content of the Vedas
Shakhas of the Vedas
Structure of the Vedas
3. The Vedas — Interpretations, Criticism and Symbolism
Interpretations of the Vedas
Deeper Meaning of the Vedas
Criticisms of the Vedas
Symbolism in the Vedas
Greatness of the Vedas
4. Rig Veda
Rig Veda Samhita
Hymns of Rig Veda
Shakhas of Rig Veda
The Gods in Rig Veda
Rishis in Rig Veda
Brahmanas of Rig Veda
Aranyakas of Rig Veda
Upanishads of Rig Veda
5. Sama Veda
Sama Veda Samhita
Hymns of Sama Veda
Shakhas of Sama Veda
Brahmanas of Sama Veda
Aranyakas and Upanishads of Sama Veda
6. Yajur Veda
Yajur Veda Samhita
Hymns of Yajur Veda
The Krishna and Shukla Yajur Veda
Shakhas of Krishna Yajur Veda
Brahmanas of Krishna Yajur Veda
Aranyakas of Krishna Yajur Veda
Upanishads of Krishna Yajur Veda
Shakhas of Shukla Yajur Veda
Brahmanas of Shukla Yajur Veda
Aranyakas and Upanishads of Shukla Yajur Veda
7. Atharva Veda
Atharva Veda Samhita
Hymns of Atharva Veda
Shakhas of Atharva Veda
Content of Atharva Veda
Brahmanas of Atharva Veda
Aranyakas and Upanishads of Atharva Veda
8. The Other Related Texts
Vedangas
Upa Vedas
Darshanas
Vedanta Sutra
Agamas
Tantra Shastra
Dharma Shastras
Kalas
Other Special Texts
9. Itihasas and Puranas
Itihasas
Puranas
References
AN EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK
The Big Bang Theory
The cosmic dance of Shiva accompanied by the beating of the damaru probably suggested the sudden energetic impulses that could have propelled the Big Bang. In his book The Wishing Tree, Subhash Kak points out that the Puranas which were written with Vedas as the basis mention the creation and destruction of the Universe in cycles of 8.64 billion years that is quite close to currently accepted value regarding the time of Big Bang. Contrary to the existing linear theory of time, the modern scientists have advanced a recent theory that confirms the alternative expansion and contraction of the Universe. This modern theory too finds place in the Vedas where it is stated that the world is created and destroyed at periodical intervals of time through the concepts of Kalpas and Manvantaras.
The Vedas also give knowledge about the formation of matter and even the chemical makeup of minerals. The Vedas state that Universe is self-created. So the matter contained in the Universe was also not created. Since nothing was created, it cannot be destroyed.
Dick Teresi, in his book Lost Discoveries – the Ancient Roots of Modern Science reveals the fact that even several thousands of years before Aristotle, the Vedas had declared that the earth was round and it revolved around the Sun. The hymns also mention that the Sun is the centre of the Solar System and that the earth is held in Space by the Sun. Even 2000 years before Pythagorus, the Vedas had declared that the Solar system was held together by the gravitational pull. The knowledge about the gravitational pull found in the Vedas was twenty-four centuries before Newton discovered the laws of gravity.
Vedic Concepts in Modern Times
While the Greeks spoke of a flat earth, the Vedas had long ago stated that the earth was spherical. The seven horses tied by the snakes which draw the chariot of Surya (Sun) mentioned in the Rig Veda represent the seven columns forming light and the movement of the Sun’s rays. Modern Physics has proved that the sunrays travel in a curved manner. The snakes with which the seven horses are tied to the chariot represent the curved movement of the rays of the Sun. Even before the time of Galileo and Copernicus, the sages of Vedic period pointed out that there is no real sunrise or sunset and that these are only to indicate the beginning and end of a day.
Rig Veda has hymns about advanced concepts like eclipse cycles through its references to the zodiacal signs. Alexander Duff, a British historian pointed out, that many inventions and discoveries of modern Science that are considered to have emerged from Europe were actually made in India several centuries ago.
In Vedic literature, there are references and descriptions of flying machines called vimanas. The Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda mention sailing in the ocean, and flying in the air in the vimanas. It is said that the art of navigation was born in India and the word ‘navigation’ probably has its root in the Sanskrit word ‘navgetih’. Several modern ideas relating to Geography, Geology, Medical Sciences including surgeries, Physical and Chemical Sciences, Arts and Fine Arts, Economic development, Psychology, Metaphysics, Spirituality can be traced back to the Vedas.
Ayurveda, the Indian system of treatment of diseases, was the earliest school of medicines known to mankind as a whole.
There are even descriptions of weapons in the Atharva Veda, which had similar amounts of energy as found in the modern atom bombs. The great epic Ramayana also has a reference about a super weapon that could destroy the earth in an instant.
Indian Music
The classical Indian music that is based on the seven svara (notes) originated from the Sama Veda. In the Vedas, we find highly sophisticated and complex science of music where the metre and tones are linked to specific modes and times of the day, revealing the fact that the ancient Indians had understood the effects of sound vibrations on humans even in those times. The Indian classical dance also has the Vedas as the basis. The approaches of modern psychology like the Behavioural, Psychoanalysis, Cognative, Statistical, Physiological Psychology, Psycho-physical Analysis are found in the Vedas, although, they are viewed from a different angle and expressed in a different language pertaining to that time and period.
Vedic Mathematics
It is also said by the researchers that the Vedic Mathematics is found to be more advanced than the one found in Greek, Babylonia, Egypt or in Chinese civilisations. The decimal system, trigonometry and calculus originated in India. Sage Bhadarayana was the first to mention trigonometry and to give the theory on right angle triangles. This later became the Pythagorus Theorem. The Indians invented ‘zero’. While the largest number used by the Greeks and Romans during the early times was only 106, in India even during the Vedic period, it was 1053.
Albert Einstein had once remarked —
‘We owe a lot to the Indians who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made.’
Status of Women
It is a matter of great pride for the Indians that even during the Vedic age, in the very distant past, women were treated at par with men. There was no need for women’s liberation in India even in the distant past. We find the names of Goddesses like Ila, Saraswati, Usha, Aditi and many women sages mentioned even in the earliest Rig Veda. The Sukta in 10.85 of the Rig Veda states that the daughter-in-law should be treated like a queen.
Rishis of Yore
Further, the rishis of yore were fully aware of the concept of environmental protection which is the talk of the day in these times. All natural resources were considered as Gods and they were worshipped for their contribution in supporting life and the entire Universe.
As Sri Aurobindo had mentioned —
‘The Vedas and Vedanta have stood the test of time and have been the source of almost all profound philosophies and religions of India.’
At the international level, he says —
‘The ideas of the Upanishads can be rediscovered in much of the thought of Pythagorus and Plato that form the most part of Neo-Platonism, and Gnosticism. Sufism only repeats them in another religious language.’
Kurt Schildmann, a German linguist claims that his study of the ancient inscriptions discovered in the caves of Peru and the United States shows that they are similar to Indus Valley Sanskrit. It suggests that sea fares from India might have reached America thousands of years. Even the oldest preserved Iranian language Avestan is related to Vedic Sanskrit. Some of the names of the Rig Vedic deities closely resemble the deities of other regions of the world. For example, Dyaus is cognate to Greek Zeus, Latin Jupiter, and Germanic Tyr., Mitra might be Persian Mithra, Usha might be the Greek Eros and Latin Aurora, and Agni corresponds to Latin Ignis. It is also believed by some that the Vedic religion itself is closely associated with the pre-Zoroastrian Persian religion.
Max Muller in his lecture on ‘India – What Can it Teach Us’ says —
‘If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered over the greatest problems of life and has found solutions of some of them which well deserve the attention even of those who have been nurtured almost exclusively on the thoughts of Greeks and Romans and of the Semitic race, the Jewish, may draw the corrective which is most wanted in order to make our inner life more perfect, more comprehensive, more universal – again, I should point to India.’
About Upanishads, he remarks —
‘The Upanishads are the sources of Vedanta philosophy, a system in which human speculation seems to me to have reached its very acme.’
Schopenhauer remarked —
‘In the whole world, there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads. They are the products of the highest wisdom.’
All these prove beyond doubt that Vedas are all comprehensive and that there is nothing on earth that is not found in the Vedas.
The concepts of Viswaneedam, the global family, and Vasudhaiva kutumbakam, the whole world as one family, originated from the Vedas. These concepts reveal the universal outlook of the ancient seers of India.
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