saidevo
17 June 2012, 11:17 PM
shrI M.R.JambunAthan, a Vedic scholar par excellence, translated all the four Vedas in Tamizh, highlighting the spiritual import of the Veda mantras. From his amazing introduction to the Yajur veda publication, we learn several esoteric truths behind the prima facie facts seen in the Veda mantras.
First, some links to information about this great scholar:
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/blogs/brahmanyan/1771-sri-m-r-jambunathan-vedic-scholar.html
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article3273061.ece
http://www.newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=33&id=9770
The Tamizh original text of the introduction is here:
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/vedic-hyms/9120-vedas-tamizh-translated-shri-m-r-jambunathan.html
Yajur veda comes in two recensions: kRShNa-yajur veda, shukla-yajur veda. While the kRShNa-yajur is popular among the people in South India, the shukla-yajur is followed by most people in the North.
• MRJ explains that the text that attracts the common people is the kRShNa-yajur, while that which filled with the light of knowledge and appeals to the scholars is shukla-yajur.
Structure of the Yajur veda texts
• The root Veda texts are called saMhitAs--methodically arranged collections of mantras. The primary division of the text is called a kANDam--part/portion in the case of kRShNa-yajur, sAma and atharva vedas, maNDalam in the Rig veda and adhyAyam--chapter in the shukla-yajur veda.
• In kRShNa-yajur, the kANDas are further divided into prapAThakas--chapters/lectures/subdivisions, and those into anuvAkas--sections.
• In the mUla-saMhitAs--root texts, a number is given in the anuvAkas for each fifty padas--words; a note at the end of the anuvAkam denotes all the fiftieth words. The last number denotes the number of words where they are less than fifty.
• At the end of each prapAThakam, all the first words of the anuvAkas are given along with their word count. Then a number mentions the count of words in the whole prapAThakam.
• At the end of a kANDam, similarly, the first words and count of words of the prapAThakas are given.
• Thus, the note at the end of the seventh kANDam reads: iShe-16582, vAyavyam-19265, prajApati-10622, yunjchAn-14105, sAvitrANi-19104, prAchIna-vaMsham-16992, prajananam-13325, thus giving the statistics of all the seven kANDas and then shabdam-110296 as the total number of words in the kANDam.
• These sUchanas--indexes were probably added by the RShis of the yore to keep the orders in the text intact and help their students to flawlessly memorize the texts for chanting.
Devas
The primary devas of YV are agni, indra, sUrya, viShNu, soma, mAruts, bhUmi, Apas, ushas, varuNa, rudra, and sarasvatI. Deva means the puruSha--divine entity, which helps us or all the good things we make use of. Occasionally, even our eyes, ears and nose are known as devas.
yajnas and their esoteric imports
There are many kinds of yajnas--vedic sacrifices: soma-yAgam, vAjapeyam, rAjasUyam, puruShamedham, sarvamedham, ashvamedham, sautramaNi, pravargya and such others. Although these names are not found in the Vedic root texts, they are usually given, following SAyaNAchArya (a renowned translator of the Vedas).
• yajna is a name for viShNu; viShNu is the name of the divine entity that is sarva-vyApakam/sarva-vyApinam--all pervading. yajna also denotes the dwarf vAmana.
• Once upon a time, the asuras were in complete hold of the prapancham--universe. Devas went and told the asuras that if they are given even a small piece of land, it would be sufficient for them. The asuras of darkness agreed and gave them a small piece of land in the east for devas to keep their agni there (for their sacrificial rites). Devas placed Yajna (a name for ViShNu) in the form of udaya-sUrya--rising sun. He who rose as the dwarf VAmana in the morning, quickly ascended to the apex of the sky and engulfed all the three worlds with his rays that were his pAda--feet (shatapatha brAhmaNa 1.2.5.1).
• yajna represents all the wealth in the world, which the asuras had kept with VarAha. The place were all the good wealth are heaped is known as varAham. The Yajna named ViShNu with the help of Indra seized all the wealth from the asuras (taittirIyam 6.2.4.2).
• yajna is a ratham--chariot that carries all things of eminence (RV 3.2.8). The ship that takes us through the ocean (of birth) has a name, yajna (RV 1.140.12). The agricultural activities of plowing the field, watering and sowing the seeds, raising the crops and finally harvesting them are known as yajna (RV 10.101.3). In fact all occupations are yajnas.
• sRuShTi--Creation is called yajna, in which this earth with all its wealth appears along with the Vedas (KYV 397.6.7). If the yajna is given a form, he becomes PrajApati and other devas (217). His limbs are the stars, the twelve months and all other things (216). yajna comprises cows, sheep, horses and all the wealth that are consumed by the citizens (99.17).
• The year is a yajna where the seasons as purohits--officiators do-Ahuti--offer oblations in fire, the months, with fortnights as the vessels (shatapatha brAhmaNa 11.2.7.33).
• jyoti--fire is agni, Aditya-sun, is samidh--fuel, kiraNa--rays are the smoke, daytime is the jvAlA--flame, disha--directions are the bhasman--embers: this is one yajnam (P.6.2).
• ahaMkAram is the adhvaryu--priests performing rites, chittam--mind is the hotRu--priest who chants the Rig Veda mantras, vyAna--air diffused in body, is the prastotRu--assistant priest, udAna--air that rises up in body, is the udgAta--priest who sings the sAma veda mantras, samAna--air that digests, is the mitra and varuNa, sharIram--body, is the vedi--altar, head is the droNa-kalasham--wooden vessel for the soma, omkAram--the sacred and mystical syllable AUM, is the yUpam--post to tether the sacrificial animal, manas--mind is the ratham--chariot, kAmam--desires are the pashu--sacrificial animal, tyAgam--giving up, is the dakShiNa--honorarium paid to the priests, and Atman--Self is the yajamAna--the institutor of the sacrifice (prANAgnihotra upaniShad).
• When people are talking, they do not breathe (normally). This is when they sacrifice their prANa--vital air, in language. When people breathe normally, they do not talk, and sacrifice language in prANa. Such never-ending yajnam is performed even in sleep (kauShItaki 5.4).
• The very life of a human being is like a yajnam. The first 24 years are the yajna performed in the morning. The next 44 years are the daytime yajnam; and the remaining 48 evening yajnam (4.3.16). The brahmacharya--bachelor life is itself a yajnam (chA.8.5).
yAgas
Both yajna and yAga mean the same ritual performance. Thus, somayAgam means the efforts towards imbibing the nectar that is soma. If you seek wealth it is vAjapeyayAgam. You are doing rAjasUyayAgam when you seek to rule a country. puruShamedham is the desire to gain knowledge about the wonders of creation. sarvamedham is the knowledge of relations between things. sautramaNi is exerting to win after a setback; and pravargya are our efforts towards becoming strong in body.
Thus, even while the Vedas give a clarion call to us to lead a life of fullness and enjoy the wealths of the world, the veda mantras that make such calls are also embedded with esoteric meanings for those who look beyond the comforts of the three worlds and seek to realize the Atman in them.
First, some links to information about this great scholar:
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/blogs/brahmanyan/1771-sri-m-r-jambunathan-vedic-scholar.html
http://www.thehindu.com/arts/history-and-culture/article3273061.ece
http://www.newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=33&id=9770
The Tamizh original text of the introduction is here:
http://www.tamilbrahmins.com/vedic-hyms/9120-vedas-tamizh-translated-shri-m-r-jambunathan.html
Yajur veda comes in two recensions: kRShNa-yajur veda, shukla-yajur veda. While the kRShNa-yajur is popular among the people in South India, the shukla-yajur is followed by most people in the North.
• MRJ explains that the text that attracts the common people is the kRShNa-yajur, while that which filled with the light of knowledge and appeals to the scholars is shukla-yajur.
Structure of the Yajur veda texts
• The root Veda texts are called saMhitAs--methodically arranged collections of mantras. The primary division of the text is called a kANDam--part/portion in the case of kRShNa-yajur, sAma and atharva vedas, maNDalam in the Rig veda and adhyAyam--chapter in the shukla-yajur veda.
• In kRShNa-yajur, the kANDas are further divided into prapAThakas--chapters/lectures/subdivisions, and those into anuvAkas--sections.
• In the mUla-saMhitAs--root texts, a number is given in the anuvAkas for each fifty padas--words; a note at the end of the anuvAkam denotes all the fiftieth words. The last number denotes the number of words where they are less than fifty.
• At the end of each prapAThakam, all the first words of the anuvAkas are given along with their word count. Then a number mentions the count of words in the whole prapAThakam.
• At the end of a kANDam, similarly, the first words and count of words of the prapAThakas are given.
• Thus, the note at the end of the seventh kANDam reads: iShe-16582, vAyavyam-19265, prajApati-10622, yunjchAn-14105, sAvitrANi-19104, prAchIna-vaMsham-16992, prajananam-13325, thus giving the statistics of all the seven kANDas and then shabdam-110296 as the total number of words in the kANDam.
• These sUchanas--indexes were probably added by the RShis of the yore to keep the orders in the text intact and help their students to flawlessly memorize the texts for chanting.
Devas
The primary devas of YV are agni, indra, sUrya, viShNu, soma, mAruts, bhUmi, Apas, ushas, varuNa, rudra, and sarasvatI. Deva means the puruSha--divine entity, which helps us or all the good things we make use of. Occasionally, even our eyes, ears and nose are known as devas.
yajnas and their esoteric imports
There are many kinds of yajnas--vedic sacrifices: soma-yAgam, vAjapeyam, rAjasUyam, puruShamedham, sarvamedham, ashvamedham, sautramaNi, pravargya and such others. Although these names are not found in the Vedic root texts, they are usually given, following SAyaNAchArya (a renowned translator of the Vedas).
• yajna is a name for viShNu; viShNu is the name of the divine entity that is sarva-vyApakam/sarva-vyApinam--all pervading. yajna also denotes the dwarf vAmana.
• Once upon a time, the asuras were in complete hold of the prapancham--universe. Devas went and told the asuras that if they are given even a small piece of land, it would be sufficient for them. The asuras of darkness agreed and gave them a small piece of land in the east for devas to keep their agni there (for their sacrificial rites). Devas placed Yajna (a name for ViShNu) in the form of udaya-sUrya--rising sun. He who rose as the dwarf VAmana in the morning, quickly ascended to the apex of the sky and engulfed all the three worlds with his rays that were his pAda--feet (shatapatha brAhmaNa 1.2.5.1).
• yajna represents all the wealth in the world, which the asuras had kept with VarAha. The place were all the good wealth are heaped is known as varAham. The Yajna named ViShNu with the help of Indra seized all the wealth from the asuras (taittirIyam 6.2.4.2).
• yajna is a ratham--chariot that carries all things of eminence (RV 3.2.8). The ship that takes us through the ocean (of birth) has a name, yajna (RV 1.140.12). The agricultural activities of plowing the field, watering and sowing the seeds, raising the crops and finally harvesting them are known as yajna (RV 10.101.3). In fact all occupations are yajnas.
• sRuShTi--Creation is called yajna, in which this earth with all its wealth appears along with the Vedas (KYV 397.6.7). If the yajna is given a form, he becomes PrajApati and other devas (217). His limbs are the stars, the twelve months and all other things (216). yajna comprises cows, sheep, horses and all the wealth that are consumed by the citizens (99.17).
• The year is a yajna where the seasons as purohits--officiators do-Ahuti--offer oblations in fire, the months, with fortnights as the vessels (shatapatha brAhmaNa 11.2.7.33).
• jyoti--fire is agni, Aditya-sun, is samidh--fuel, kiraNa--rays are the smoke, daytime is the jvAlA--flame, disha--directions are the bhasman--embers: this is one yajnam (P.6.2).
• ahaMkAram is the adhvaryu--priests performing rites, chittam--mind is the hotRu--priest who chants the Rig Veda mantras, vyAna--air diffused in body, is the prastotRu--assistant priest, udAna--air that rises up in body, is the udgAta--priest who sings the sAma veda mantras, samAna--air that digests, is the mitra and varuNa, sharIram--body, is the vedi--altar, head is the droNa-kalasham--wooden vessel for the soma, omkAram--the sacred and mystical syllable AUM, is the yUpam--post to tether the sacrificial animal, manas--mind is the ratham--chariot, kAmam--desires are the pashu--sacrificial animal, tyAgam--giving up, is the dakShiNa--honorarium paid to the priests, and Atman--Self is the yajamAna--the institutor of the sacrifice (prANAgnihotra upaniShad).
• When people are talking, they do not breathe (normally). This is when they sacrifice their prANa--vital air, in language. When people breathe normally, they do not talk, and sacrifice language in prANa. Such never-ending yajnam is performed even in sleep (kauShItaki 5.4).
• The very life of a human being is like a yajnam. The first 24 years are the yajna performed in the morning. The next 44 years are the daytime yajnam; and the remaining 48 evening yajnam (4.3.16). The brahmacharya--bachelor life is itself a yajnam (chA.8.5).
yAgas
Both yajna and yAga mean the same ritual performance. Thus, somayAgam means the efforts towards imbibing the nectar that is soma. If you seek wealth it is vAjapeyayAgam. You are doing rAjasUyayAgam when you seek to rule a country. puruShamedham is the desire to gain knowledge about the wonders of creation. sarvamedham is the knowledge of relations between things. sautramaNi is exerting to win after a setback; and pravargya are our efforts towards becoming strong in body.
Thus, even while the Vedas give a clarion call to us to lead a life of fullness and enjoy the wealths of the world, the veda mantras that make such calls are also embedded with esoteric meanings for those who look beyond the comforts of the three worlds and seek to realize the Atman in them.