LIGHT OF THE VEDAS: HYMN TO USHA

LIGHT OF VEDAS: HYMN TO USHA


HYMN TO USHA

O Usha! You are the the Light of immortal Truth, the foundation of the Dawns,
the Illuminer, Creator, Organiser and Witness of all things, our highest mental heaven,
by Your revelations, You bring into existence in us the concealed luminous mind.


O Usha! You are the revelation of the thought and word of the seer,
the power conscient of the truth of all that is knowable and known,
the affirmation, full and ample,of the giver supreme of all the plenitudes.


O Usha! guided are Your steps according to the rule of a divine plan;
You bring within our reach all desirable things, all the supreme boons,
the boons of the Chida-Ananda, the blessings of the divine existence.


O Usha! You are ancient and eternal, the dawn of the Light Divine
that was from the beginning, but in Your advent ever fresh and young
signifying the full force of the Light and the revelation of the Truth.


O the Divine Dawn! You are the Light of the immortal existence
You bring out in man the powers or the voices of Truth and Joy,
the chariot on which You move is at once of light and of happiness.


O Usha! ever luminous and blissful, You pour into man, ananda and amŗta,
the nectar-delight of immortality as the Divine Dawn of concentrated Light,
confront the worlds with the all-permeating Light of the Universal Being.


O Usha! uplifted You stand on the heights above the mind, in the highest heaven,
as the symbol of Immortality of the Self-Effulgent Timeless Being,
revealed as the Truth of beatific existence or the eternal all-blissful Godhead.


Dawn, O bearer of every boon, Goddess, ancient, yet ever young,
many-thoughted thou movest following the law of thy activities
conscious, absorbed in the affirmation of Him who expresses thee.


O Dawn divine, thou shine out immortal in thy car of happy light
send forth the pleasant voices of the Truth in all the regions, of earth and heaven
may Your steeds, golden-brilliant, well-guided and of wide might bear thee.


O Usha! the horses that bring You, are the nervous forces, perfectly controlled,
golden, bright in hue, dynamic and vibrant, signifying Your divine aspect,
like a wheel moving smoothly over a level field, sans diversities and discords.


O Sūrya Sāvitri! the daughter of Heaven, You accomplish Your task of illumination
by the bright power of the continuous Dawns in the mind’s sky’s divine heavens
by Your increasing illuminations the movements of the mind grow conscient and brilliant.

O Usha! You are the medium of man’s awakening, the first condition of his self realization,
by Your power You induce enlightenment clarifying and enlightening man’s whole nature,
through You dawns the divine Light letting You arrive at the Truth of the Beatitude.
.

Throwing off veil after veil that hides the Truth,
O Usha! You reveal the luminous godhead,
the Divine Dawn to the illumined ones of all times.


In Your Light Divine man's activities are revealed,
the yajna is done, the sacrifice offered to the fire,
its fire-borne fruits by humanity are gathered.

THE ANCIENT WISDOM IN OUR TIME:THE ANCIENT MYSTIC FRATERNITIES

THE ANCIENT MYSTIC WISDOM

THE SCHOOLS OF INITIATION

These schools started long before history began to write of human activities. During every epoch their members willingly served the best interests of their communities, teaching and guiding them to enjoying the greatest possible benefits in life and reducing suffering. Nevertheless, history reveals that not all were willing to receive the truth “that makes men free!”

Their fundamental teachings can be traced to primitive Coptic Egyptian and pre Christian Gnostics and have never changed.

Nonetheless, every age has required a new interpretation and application of the Law to adapt to the needs of individuals and nations.

In this New Age the work of the Hidden and Spiritual Associations needs to be re-established in the world with the same vigor as in previous epochs so that communities may be educated in the Law and qualified to apply it in obtaining Illumination and the immortalizing of the Soul as the only salvation for humanity.
In times past pseudo-occult societies and imaginary Rosicrucian organizations have destroyed the confidence of many researchers, students and aspirants. Man has an overwhelming tendency to accept as true those appearances that please him. But his confidence must be reestablished.

THE ESOTERIC KNOWLEDGE

When the mind of an individual is open to thinking that a deeper science exists than that which is taught in the universities – great and respectable in many aspects, the Secret Science needs to be studied along side of the others and this intent will initiate a process of spiritual culture that the Sacred Writings call “the ascent of Jacob’s ladder”, conducting him, not to heaven exactly but to the Illumination of his Mind and Soul. That is to say: to Initiation, with the result of liberation of the Soul and spirit from all servitude to the body.

The majority receive only knowledge of the possibilities of material life and ignore that they possess a Soul that can be awakened and made active, whose powers are greater, more vital and real, than anything else that might be desired. Many continue to believe that a higher education is a most desirable and worthy human achievement. But the intellect does not provide access to the world of the Soul, the world of Life; its greatest power consists of giving superficial explanations of things without penetrating their essence and lacks the vital power to reform men and create fraternity. On the other hand the emotional nature, often called the divine nature, is the foundation of all intelligence and strength that is true and enduring.
The primary objective of these teachings is to guide the individual toward the inner self until he finds his own Metaphysical Center and lights the Sacred Flame on his own Inner Altar. This flame is the point of contact between men and the source of all power and knowledge. It provides a spiritual center around which a happy, constructive, and productive life can be built.

According to the mystical literature of all cultures, including the West, it is the highest experience a man may attain. The genuine Christian mysticism is rich in this theme; of this field it will suffice to cite Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. The Order teaches the aspirant the laws and principles that will guide him; however, the aspirant has to do his own work. It is he who must apply these in his daily life to obtain inner development and awaken the forces that can be utilized to achieve health, vitality and youth, as well as any other personal or social purpose.
This training allows you to conquer self and act according to reason and by the Law of Love. It is simple, natural, and becomes a part of your daily life. It is therefore not incompatible with any activity or appropriate business, nor does it prohibit positive pleasures. It increases the capacity for work, refines the senses, clears the mind, develops sensibility and ennobles the capacity for pleasure and in accord with the law of polarity, the capacity for pain. It does not seek to dominate others, but only to inspire and serve in an effective and disinterested way. It prompts you to become independent in your thoughts and free will and to increase the capacity of judgment and discernment by becoming free, but before all, responsible men.

Step by step, and imperceptibly, the neophyte gains the strength to face the circumstances of his life however adverse they might be. He learns to awaken his own strength and exercise his own power. He learns to cultivate the emotions of the heart and the Soul and realize his own powers, energies and latent possibilities for realizing the bounty of life and to carry forth the Sacred Flame so that it burns in the center of his being and transforms him into a Brother of Light or Son of God.

Once a man reaches a certain degree of inner development he can commune with the Hierarchical Centers where dwell pure and creative life and obtain the gifts existing in the Higher Realms, of Love, Power, Energy and Kindness, that belong to the wise and are attainable by all men. It is not only possible to contact these Centers, they can be reached by a vast number of individuals who are wasting away in their dying careers or awaken too late to remedy their folly. Beethoven, for example, was naturally bound to the Musical Centers and received his inspirations from these Centers. Socrates was in contact with the Philosophical Centers and the Soul of the Prophet of Galilee drew inspiration from the most inner Center, that of Love.

Never in the history of the world have better opportunities been offered than in the present. But men and women live as if in a dream, enslaved by weaknesses both their own and that of others, blinded by their environment and adverse or idiotic conditions, enslaved by the opinions of others. They walk blindly, guided by the outer philosophies of symbolic religions, stumbling upon experience without understanding the lessons of pain, happiness and loss, without understanding the reason for it all. Those who resort to the hidden knowledge will discover why they suffer and understand the reason for suffering, the sense of pain or joy and for effort. By the light of philosophy, science, and the experiences of those who have preceded them on the path, they study the necessary steps to reach a realization of illumination and immortalization of the soul within a creative and positive life for themselves and those around him.

THE ROSICRUCIANS

In spite of persecution for independent thought during the medieval period, scientists, professors, doctors and monks, protected by the walls of their monasteries, surrendered to the study of science, philosophy, alchemy, astronomy, magic and the hidden philosophy. Some of these individuals were deeply religious, sincere followers of the doctrine of Jesus and understood it as a teaching of ethics and mysticism relating to life and not as a dogmatic theological system. To defend themselves in their pursuit they united in hidden societies and maintained their faith to the traditional Secret Wisdom of Pythagoras, the Essenes, the Gnostics, Platonists and the Brotherhood of the East. Celebrated thinkers, mystics and scientists such as Raymond Lull, Roger Bacon, Tritemio, and Paracelus were leaders and members.
At the beginning of the Reformation in Germany, one of the most prominent figures of that epoch, Johan Valentin Andrea, joined with many of the most advanced Initiates of those societies to form a new fraternity that took as its emblem the Rose and Cross. Its objective was to unite in a single body the spiritual interpretation of Christianity as given by Suza, Tauler, Echhart, Studion and Johann Schaeffer, the ancient Hermetic wisdom, and the teachings of the Oriental Mystics.

At the early beginning of the 17th century (1614) this Rosicrucian Fraternity, or Fraternity of the Rose Cross, whose original and immutable name is Rosicrucian Order, as the heir of the Ancient Wisdom of the mysteries and the best of Mystical Christian thought was the creative school of its time and since then, and continuing today, has continued to strictly observe all the ancient “Lardmarks”. Subsequently, various different organizations have abusively taken this wonderful name for themselves.

It is an exclusive spiritual and secret school dedicated to the truly spiritual teaching of philosophy and spiritual science whose practice is to carry out the development and immortalization of the human Soul while it lives within a physical body, leading it to Cosmic Consciousness and by this means establishing fraternity in the land.
The Order is an association of free people, absolutely ethical and free of every dogma. Members of any religion may be and are aspirants in this School. It is apolitical, even as it adheres ardently to a doctrine advancing the complete freedom of men. It is fundamentally spiritual because it teaches the Immortality of the Soul and the Paternity of God, is scientific because it teaches the laws that give health to the body, strength to the mind, and works incessantly for the elevation of spiritual, mental and physical liberation of men.

It does not promise divine or supernatural powers to its Neophytes, although its inner members are familiarized with psychic forces and certain laws of Nature and are experts in the management of these and have discovered that forces more subtle than electricity, under certain conditions, can be used and directed appropriately by a mind trained in will and creative imagination to utilize them to carry out many things for the exaltation and benefit of humanity, while at the same time a form of power is established in the soul that is far superior to what men of earthly minds can understand.

The Fraternity, Order, Temple and Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians basically teaches the highest forms of ethics and the transmutation of the low metals (passions of the mind and body) into the pure gold of spiritual Illumination.Rosicrucians are practical people who believe in the advancement of the race, in order, and in the continuous improvement of the self in all spheres of action. Their motto is: DARE TO DO.

Being a Rosicrucian is not to have received a degree or title from some Order or Fraternity, however powerful it may be, it is the final result of a process of development; coming from having penetrated certain deep levels of being and attaining knowledge and power by ones own effort and dedication. And the lips of those who attain are sealed with an impenetrable silence that can never be given or taken away.

Editorial Note:
Grand Master Constant Chevillón, a great personality in European esotericism during the first half of the 20th century, wrote this interesting article. In addition to being very spiritual, this illustrious man was so committed to the ideals of liberty that the Nazis who occupied France in 1944 executed him.

MYSTIC SAINTS OF INDIA:SATHYA SAI BABA

MYSTIC SAINTS OF INDIA

SATHYA SAI BABA


Sathya Sai Baba was born Sathyanarayana Raju to Pedavenkappa Raju and Easwaramma, a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. Since he was born after the Sri Sathyanarayana puja, he was named after the deity. It was said that instruments played on their own accord in his household when he was born.

According to professor Narayana Kasturi (Sathya Sai Baba's official biographer), in his book Easwaramma - The Chosen Mother, Sathya was conceived through a Virgin birth, which was supported by Easwaramma's claim that she found out she was pregnant after a huge sphere of blue light rolled towards her, merged into her and made her faint.

According to Kasturi's biography , on March 8th, 1940 Sai Baba started behaving as if a black scorpion had stung his foot. However, nobody found the scorpion, according to Kasturi. Kasturi further wrote that for one night after this strange event Sai Baba entered a state similar to coma, which his devotees call the state of "leaving his body". Kasturi continues by writing that after he got out of this state he started behaving in a way that worried his parents - he didn't want to eat, he would often keep silent for a long time, recite ancient Shlokas or elaborate on holy Hindu scriptures. Finally, according to Kasturi's biography, on May 23rd, 1940 the young Sathya claimed to be the reincarnation of the fakir Shirdi Sai Baba and subsequently took the fakir's name.

According to his own assertion and the biography by Kasturi he stopped going to school in the town of Uravakonda on October 20, 1940 to start his mission. However, he is listed in the 1942 school record of the nearby village Bukkapatnam. Though the exact year on which he started his mission full-time is uncertain, it is a fact that in the 1940s he took the fakir's name. Kasturi's biography mentions several miracles by and signs of divinity of the young Sathya. According to Howard Murphet, in his book Sai Baba Man of Miracles, the young Sathya was a vegetarian and was known for his aversion to animal cruelty and compassion for the poor, disabled and elderly.

According to Kasturi and to Sathya Sai Baba himself, the young Sathya composed bhajans spontaneously (even as young as 8 years of age) and was talented in drama, dance, music and poetry. In a discourse in 1963 he claimed to be a reincarnation of Shiva and Shakti. In the same discourse SSB said that Shirdi Sai Baba was an incarnation of Shiva and that his future reincarnation Prema Sai Baba would be a reincarnation of Shakti and repeated this claim in 1976.

Miracles

Sathya Sai Baba's followers report many, sometimes spectacular, miracles of various kinds that they attribute to him. Daily, he is observed to allegedly manifest vibuthi (holy ash), food and small objects such as rings, necklaces and watches. Sathya Sai Baba explained the phenomenon of manifestation as an act of divine creation.

In books, magazines and articles, there are numerous reports that Sathya Sai Baba can heal diseases and will sometimes take on the illnesses of devotees on himself.

In devotee's houses all around the world, there are international claims from neutral observers, journalists and devotees that vibuthi, kumkum, turmeric powder, holy water, siva lingams, statues of deities (brass and gold), sugar candy, fruits, herbs, amrita (a fragrant, nectar-like honey), gems, coloured string, writings in ash and various other substances spontaneously manifest and materialize on the walls, furniture, pictures and altars of Sathya Sai Baba.

The Icelandic psychology professor Erlendur Haraldsson wrote that although he did not get Sathya Sai Baba's permission to study him under controlled circumstances, he investigated and documented the guru's alleged miracles and manifestations through first-hand interviews with devotees and ex-devotees. Haraldsson's research yielded many extraordinary testimonies. Some of the miracles attributed to Sathya Sai Baba included levitation (both indoors and outdoors), bilocation, physical disappearances, changing granite into sugar candy, changing water into another drink, changing water into gasoline, producing objects on demand, changing the color of his gown into a different color while wearing it, multiplying food, healings, visions, dreams, making different fruits appear on any tree hanging from actual stems, controlling the weather, physically transforming into various deities and physically emitting brilliant light.

These devotees and ex-devotees also claimed that they witnessed Sathya Sai Baba materialize many substances from his hand such as vibuthi, lost objects, statues, photographs, Indian pastries (both hot and cold), food (hot, cold, solid and fluid), out of season fruits, new banknotes, pendants, necklaces, watches and rings.

Haraldsson wrote that the largest materialized object that he saw was a mangalsutra necklace, 32 inches long, 16 inches long on each side. Haraldsson wrote that some miracles attributed or performed by the Baba resemble the ones described in the New Testament, but also with some differences. According to Haraldsson, although healings certainly figure into Sai Baba's reputation, his impression is that healings do not play a prominent role in SSB's activities as in those of Jesus.

Teachings

Sathya Sai Baba is a prolific orator about religious topics in his native language Telugu and he is regarded by some as an excellent speaker. He asserted that he is an Avatar of God in whom all names and forms ascribed by man to God are manifest. He also says that everybody else is God and that the difference is that he is aware of this and others have yet to realize it.. He further claims to be that he is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipotent, and able to create matter from mere thought. He also stresses he and humans should always free from desires and states that desires bring mental pain (depression, anger jealousy etc).

Sathya Sai Baba preaches love and the unity of all world religions and asserts that people who follow him do not need to give up their original religion. His teachings are sometimes seen as completely syncretic (uniting all religions) and sometimes as Hindu. He teaches among others a rather traditional form of Hinduism that has come from many sects and movements including advaita, occasionally drawing from other religions like Buddhism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity. One of the Christian influences can be felt in the institution of regular Sunday School sessions for devotees. He says that he has come to restore faith in, and encourage the practice of the teachings in the Vedas. Several books and discourses by him, such as the book Ramakatha Rasavahini teach the literal interpretation of Hindu mythology and advocate the practice of Hindu Dharma.

Across the globe local Sathya Sai Baba groups assemble to sing bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), study Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, do collective community service (called seva), and teach Education in Human Values (Sai Sunday School). Baba's movement is not missionary and Baba discouraged publicity for him in a public discourse in 1968. Bhajans are sung at nearly every meeting with the names of the traditional Hindu deities as well as saints and prophets of other religions occasionally replaced by Baba's name.

Based on Sathya Sai Baba's teachings, his organisation advocates the five basic human values. These values are sathya (truth), dharma (right conduct, living in accord with natural law), ahimsa (non-violence), prema (love for God and all his creatures) and shantih (peace).

Other primary teachings are:
▪ Service and charity (seva) to others.
▪ Love for all creatures and objects
▪ Put a ceiling (limit) on one's desires.
▪ Everything that has been created is maya (illusion), only God is real.
▪ Every creature and object is God in form, though most do not experience this as their reality.
▪ Vegetarianism
▪ Detachement from the material world
▪ Meditation - Baba teaches four techniques, repetition of the name of God, visualising the form of God, sitting in silence and jyoti (Light meditation).
▪ Inclusive acceptance of all religions as paths to realizing the One (God).
▪ Importance of bhakti (devotion) to God
▪ Developing virtues and eschewing vices of character
▪ japa and other sadhana (spiritual exercise) to foster devotion.
▪ Reverence for parents, teachers and elders

Sathya Sai Baba's teachings are said to be realized by observing the following four principles:
▪ There is only one Caste, the Caste of Humanity;
▪ There is only one Religion, the Religion of Love;
▪ There is only one Language, the Language of the Heart;
▪ There is only One God and He is Omnipresent
S ources :Wikipedia

SRI RAMANUJA

Sri Ramanuja In the year 1017 A.D., Ramanuja was born in the village of Perumbudur, about twenty-five miles west of Madras. His father was Kesava Somayaji and his mother was Kantimathi, a very pious and virtuous lady. Ramanuja's Tamil name was Ilaya Perumal. Quite early in life, Ramanuja lost his father. Then he came to Kancheepuram to prosecute his study of the Vedas under one Yadavaprakasha, a teacher of Advaita philosophy. Ramanuja was a very brilliant student. Yadavaprakasha's interpretations of Vedic texts were not quite up to his satisfaction. Ramanuja pointed out many mistakes in the exposition of his master. Sometimes he gave his own interpretations which were much liked by all the co-students. This made Yadavaprakasha very jealous of Ramanuja. Yadavaprakasha made a plan to take away the life of Ramanuja. He arranged for Ramanuja and his cousin Govinda Bhatta--a fellow student--a pilgrimage to Varanasi. Govinda Bhatta, being a favourite student of Yadavaprakasha, came to know of the latter's plan while they were travelling. He at once apprised Ramanuja of the danger and helped him to escape. By the grace of God, Ramanuja escaped with the help of a hunter and his wife whom he accidentally met on the way. About the end of the tenth century, the Visishtadvaita system of philosophy was well established in Southern India and the followers of this creed were in charge of important Vaishnavite temples at Kancheepuram, Srirangam, Tirupathi and other important places. The head of the important Vaishnavite institution was Yamunacharya, a great sage and profound scholar; and he was also the head of the Mutt at Srirangam. One of his disciples, by name Kanchipurna, was serving in the temple at Kancheepuram. Although a Sudra, Kanchipurna was so very pious and good that the people of the place had great respect and reverence for him. At present, there is a temple at Kancheepuram where Kanchipurna's image has been installed and where he is worshipped as a saint. Young Ramanuja came under Kanchipurna's influence and had such reverence for him that he invited him to dinner in his house.

Ramanuja's intention was to attend on Kanchipurna and personally serve him at dinner and himself take meals afterwards. Unfortunately, Kanchipurna came to dinner when Ramanuja was not at home, and took his meals being served by Ramanuja's wife. When Ramanuja returned home, he found the house washed and his wife bathing for having served meals to a Sudra. This irritated Ramanuja very much and turned him against his wife who was an orthodox lady of a different social ideal. After a few incidents of this nature, Ramanuja abandoned the life of a householder and became a Sannyasin. About this time, Yamunacharya being very old was on the look-out for a young person of good ability and character to take his place as head of the Mutt at Srirangam. He had already heard of Ramanuja through his disciples and made up his mind to instal Ramanuja in his place. He now sent for Ramanuja. By the time Ramanuja reached Srirangam, Yamunacharya was dead; and Ramanuja saw his body being taken by his followers to the cremation ground outside the village. Ramanuja followed them to the cremation ground. There he was informed that Yamunacharya, before his death, had left instructions that he had three wishes which Ramanuja was to be requested to fulfil, viz., that a Visishtadvaita Bhashya should be written for the Brahma Sutras of Vyasa which hitherto had been taught orally to the disciples of the Visishtadvaita philosophy and that the names of Parasara, the author of Vishnu Purana, and saint Sadagopa should be perpetuated. Ramanuja was deeply touched, and in the cremation ground itself, before the dead body of Yamunacharya, he made a solemn promise that, God willing, he would fulfil all the three wishes of Yamunacharya. Ramanuja lived for 120 years, and in the course of his long life, fully redeemed his promise by fulfilling all the three wishes of Yamunacharya. After the death of Yamuna, his disciples at Srirangam and other places wanted Ramanuja to take Yamuna's place as the head of the Mutt at Srirangam. This was also the expressed wish of Yamuna. Accordingly, Ramanuja took his place and was duly installed with all the attendant ceremonies and celebrations as the head of the Visishtadvaita Mutt at Srirangam. Ramanuja then proceeded to Thirukottiyur to take initiation from Nambi for Japa of the sacred Mantra of eight letters Om Namo Narayanaya. Somehow, Nambi was not willing to initiate Ramanuja easily. He made Ramanuja travel all the way from Srirangam to Madurai nearly eighteen times before he made up his mind to initiate him, and that too, only after exacting solemn promises of secrecy. Then Nambi duly initiated Ramanuja and said: "Ramanuja! Keep this Mantra a secret. This Mantra is a powerful one. Those who repeat this Mantra will attain salvation. Give it only to a worthy disciple previously tried". But Ramanuja had a very large heart. He was extremely compassionate and his love for humanity was unbounded. He wanted that every man should enjoy the eternal bliss of Lord Narayana. He realised that the Mantra was very powerful. He immediately called all people, irrespective of caste and creed, to assemble before the temple. He stood on top of the tower above the front gate of the temple, and shouted out the sacred Mantra to all of them at the top of his voice. Nambi, his Guru, came to know of this. He became furious. Ramanuja said: "O my beloved Guru! Please prescribe a suitable punishment for my wrong action". Ramanuja said: "I will gladly suffer the tortures of hell myself if millions of people could get salvation by hearing the Mantra through me". Nambi was very much pleased with Ramanuja and found out that he had a very large heart full of compassion. He embraced Ramanuja and blessed him. Having thus equipped himself with the necessary qualifications, Ramanuja succeeded Yamuna. By this time, Ramanuja's fame had spread far and wide. He became a good controversialist. Then he wrote his commentary on the Brahma Sutras known as the Sri Bhashya. The Visishtadvaita system is an ancient one. It was expounded by Bodhayana in his Vritti, written about 400 B.C. It is the same as that expounded by Ramanuja; and Ramanuja followed Bodhayana in his interpretations of the Brahma Sutras. Ramanuja's sect of Vaishnavas is called by the name Sri Sampradaya. Ramanuja wrote also three other books--Vedanta Sara (essence of Vedanta), Vedanta Sangraha (a resume of Vedanta) and Vedanta Deepa (the light of Vedanta). Ramanuja travelled throughout the length and breadth of India to disseminate the path of devotion. He visited all the sacred places throughout India including Kashi, Kashmir and Badrinath. On his way back he visited the Tirupathi hills. There he found the Saivites and the Vaishnavites quarrelling with one another, one party contending that the image of the Lord in the Tirupathi hills was a Saivite one and the other party saying that it was a Vaishnavite one. Ramanuja proposed that they should leave it to the Lord Himself to decide the dispute. So they left the emblems of both Siva and Vishnu at the feet of the Lord, and after locking the door of the temple, both parties stayed outside on guard. In the morning, when they opened the doors, it was found that the image of the Lord was wearing the emblems of Vishnu, while the emblems of Siva were lying at its feet as left there the evening before. This decided that the temple was a Vaishnavite one and it has remained so ever since. Ramanuja then visited all the Vaishnavite shrines in South India and finally reached Srirangam. Here he settled himself permanently and continued his labours of preaching the Visishtadvaita philosophy and writing books. Thousands of people flocked to him everyday to hear his lectures. He cleansed the temples, settled the rituals to be observed in them, and rectified many social evils which had crept into the community. He had a congregation of 700 Sannyasins, 74 dignitaries who held special offices of ministry, and thousands of holy men and women, who revered him as God. He converted lakhs of people to the path of Bhakti. He gave initiation even to washermen. He was now seventy years old, but was destined to live many more years, establish more Mutts, construct more temples and convert many more thousands of people. The Chola king about this time was Kulothunga I and he was a staunch Saivite. He ordered Ramanuja to subscribe to his faith in Siva and acknowledge Siva as the Supreme Lord. Two of the disciples of Ramanuja, Kuresa and Mahapurna, donned the orange robes of Sannyasins and visited the court of Kulothunga I in place of Ramanuja. They argued there for the superiority of Vishnu. The monarch refused to hear them and had their eyes put out. The two unfortunate people started for Srirangam--their native place. Mahapurna was a very old man, and unable to bear the pain, died on the way. Kuresa alone returned to Srirangam. Meanwhile, Ramanuja, with a few followers, by rapid marches through day and night, reached the foot-hills of the Western Ghats, about forty miles west of Mysore. There, after great difficulties, he established himself and spent some years in preaching and converting people to the Visishtadvaita philosophy. The king of the place was Bhatti Deva of the Hoysala dynasty. The Raja's daughter was possessed of some devil and nobody was able to cure her. Ramanuja succeeded in exorcizing the devil and the princess was restored to her former health. The king was very much pleased with Ramanuja and readily became his disciple and he was converted by Ramanuja into a Vaishnavite. Thereafter Ramanuja firmly established himself in the Mysore king's dominions, constructed a temple at Melkote, and created a strong Vaishnavite community there. The Pariahs or depressed classes (now called Harijans) of the place were of great service to Ramanuja; and Ramanuja gave them the right of entry inside the temple which he constructed at Melkote--on some fixed days and with some limited privileges--which they enjoy to this day. Ramanuja constructed a few more Vishnu temples in and about Mysore, set up a strong Vaishnavite community and put them in charge of his disciples to continue his work and spread the Visishtadvaita philosophy and Vishnu worship throughout the king's dominions. Thus he continued his labours here for nearly twenty years and his followers numbered several thousands. Meanwhile, Kulothunga Chola 1, who persecuted Ramanuja, died. The followers of Ramanuja immediately communicated the news to Ramanuja and requested him to come back to Srirangam. Ramanuja himself longed to go back to his followers in Srirangam and worship in the temple there. But his new disciples and followers at Melkote and other places in Mysore would not let him go. So he constructed a temple for himself, installed therein his own image for worship by his disciples and followers, and left the place for Srirangam. He was welcomed by his friends and disciples at Srirangam. The successor to Kulothunga Chola I was a pro-Vaishnavite and Ramanuja was left undisturbed. Ramanuja continued his labours for thirty years more and closed his long active career after attaining the remarkable age of 120 years. Ramanuja was the exponent of the Visishtadvaita philosophy or qualified non-dualism. Ramanuja's Brahman is Sa-visesha Brahman, i.e., Brahman with attributes. According to Ramanuja's teachings, Lord Narayana or Bhagavan is the Supreme Being; the individual soul is Chit; matter is Achit. Ramanuja regards the attributes as real and permanent, but subject to the control of Brahman. The attributes are called Prakaras or modes. Lord Narayana is the Ruler and Lord of the universe. The Jiva is His servant and worshipper. The Jiva should completely surrender himself to the Lord. The oneness of God is quite consistent with the existence of attributes, as the attributes or Shaktis depend upon God for their existence.

SOURCES
1. This biography is based on the book "Lives of Saints" by Sivananda. 2. Acharyas from the school of Vedanta: Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva, Vallabha, Nimbarka, Gauranga. 3. The Visishtadvaita Philosophy of Sri Ramanuja from Swami Sivananda's book All About Hinduism.

LIGHT OF VEDAS

LIGHT OF VEDAS



In general Vedic religion today refers to a bewildering variety of religious spectrum:
· the historical Vedic religion (practices dating to the Vedic period)
· Shrauta, surviving conservative traditions within Hinduism
· Vedanta (Upanishadic)
· Hinduism with worship of any god
· Any religion except those of semitic origin
Vedic Religion as Proto-Indo-Iranian religion
“Hittite is the oldest recorded Indo-European language, but it had remained completely unknown during the period in which Indo-European linguistics developed because its records are on clay tablets that were excavated only at the end of the 19th century. Even then, it was not identified as Indo-European until 1915, when Bedrich Hrozný made the discovery through his reading of tablets that had been brought to Vienna from the Istanbul Museum.” http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/hitol-0-R.html Hittite On Line, Series Introduction, Winfred P Lehman and Jonathan Slocum.

Vedic Religion or Vedism is the religion of the ancient Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered India about 1500 BC from the region of present-day Iran; it takes its name from the collections of sacred texts known as the Vedas. Vedism is the oldest stratum of religious activity in India
Encyclopedia Britannica


Vedic civilization
Vedic civilization is the earliest civilization in Indian history of which we have written records that we understand. It is named after the Vedas, the early literature of the Hindu people. The Vedic Civilization flourished along the river Saraswati, in a region that now consists of the modern Indian states of Haryana and Punjab. The Vedic texts have astronomical dates, that some have claimed, go back to the 5th millennium BC. The use of Vedic Sanskrit continued up to the 6th century BC. Vedic is synonymous with Aryans and Hinduism, which is another name for religious and spiritual thought that has evolved from the Vedas.

The early Aryans: Unfortunately, the origin of the Saraswati Valley civilization (Vedic culture) and its relation to the Indus Valley civilization remain hazy. The timeline of Vedic civilization is 4500 BC-1800 BC while that of Indus valley civilization is 3300 BC-1800 BC. The texts describe a geography that some believe to be north India. The greatest river of the Rig-Veda was Saraswati, now dry and identified with Ghaggar, a seasonal river. It is believed that this river ceased to reach the Arabian Sea by about 1900 BC. Now, a dry river bed, that seems to fit the description of the Saraswati River, has been detected by satellite imagery. It begins in the modern Indian state of Uttaranchal and passing through Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan, reaches the Arabian Sea in Gujarat. Our knowledge of the early Aryans comes from the Rig-Veda, the earliest of the Vedas.
http://www.haryana-online.com/History/vedic_culture.htm

In fact Rig Veda mentions several, which is seen in the figure apart from Saraswati river. These are:
Sindhu /Susoma (Indus), Vitasta (Jhelum), Asikni (Chenab), Parusni (Airavati, Ravi), Shatadru (Sutlej),Vipas/Arjikiya (Beas).

Sindhu is said to flow united with Tristama and then with Susartu, Rasa, and Sveti, later uniting with Krumu, Gomati, Kubha (Kabul) and Mahatru.
Ganga and Yamuna are mentioned as the eastern boundaries of the Aryan settlement.
“The religion of the Indo-European-speaking peoples who entered India c. 1500 BCE from the region of present-day Iran, it was a polytheistic system in which Indra was the highest-ranked god. It involved the worship of numerous male divinities connected with the sky and natural phenomena. Ceremonies centered on ritual sacrifice of animals and on the use of soma to achieve trancelike states. These ceremonies, simple in the beginning, grew to be so complex that only trained Brahmans could carry them out correctly.”

Merriam Webster Encyclopedia of World Religions
“Over time a body of dependent and scholastic material grew up around the poems, known loosely as 'the Veda'. Perhaps around 1000 BC (all dating in prehistoric India is only approximate), editors gathered the ancient poems together and arranged them, together with some more modern material, into ten books according to rules that were largely artificial (see section 4 below). They gave the collection the name by which it continues to be known, 'Rig-veda', or 'praise-knowledge'. Other collections came into being, based on this sacred material, and they were given parallel names. The editors of the 'Sāma-veda' arranged the poems differently, for the purpose of chanting, and introduced numerous alternative readings to the text. The sacrificial formulae used by the priests during their recitations, together with descriptions of their ritual practices, were incorporated into collections to which the general name 'Yajur-veda' was given. Later still, a body of popular spells was combined with passages from the Rigveda, again with variant readings, and was given the name 'Atharva-veda'. A continuously-growing mass of prose commentary, called the Brāhmaas, also came into being, devoted to the attempt to explain the meaning of the ancient poems. To the later Brāhmaas belongs the profusion of texts known as the Upanishads, which are of particular interest to Indologists, as Sanskrit scholars today often describe themselves, because of their important role in the development of early Indian religious thought.”
http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/vedol-0-X.html, Ancient Sanskrit Online, Series Introduction, Karen Thomson and Jonathan Slocum

The Chathur (Four) Vedas

Rig Veda
Rig Veda is a collection of 1028 Vedic Sanskrit hymns dedicated to Rigvedic deities. However the Mandalas I and X were written in Sanskrit and were written down after the second century with later modifications through the centuries. The main deity was Indra. To give an idea of what it is, a part of the Rig Veda is given below.

Surya, with NavagrahasFrom Tribenighat, Panauti, Nepal, 14th C AD http://kaladarshan.arts.ohio-state.edu/loststolen/Nepal/surya/N24133m.html
Rig-Veda has 1017 hymns called SUKTAS and 10500 verses in 10 mandalas chapters.

MANDALA
COMPOSED BY
1
191 hymns composed by different poets belonging to different families
2
Gritasmada and his family (descendents)
3
Vishvamitra and his family
4
Vamadeva and his family
5
Atri and his family
6
Bharadwaja and his family
7
Vasista alone
8
Kanva and his family (descendents)
9
Hymns addressed to Soma Pavamana; composed by different poets belonging to different families
10
191 hymns composed by different poets belonging to different families


All the 10 mandalas were compiled by KRISHNA DVAIPAYANA VYASA who was hence called VEDA VYASA.

Evidently Mandalas I and X are of later origins and might have been collected by the editor Veda Vyasa well into the Christian Era.
· The Rig-Veda mentions several tribes and groups of people: Dasyus, who are identified with the Dravidians who are believed to be the descendents of the Indus Vallley Civilization which existed long before the Aryan Arrivals. They had matriarchal system as opposed to the Aryan patriarchal system.
· Rakshasas who originally denoted strong and powerful men (Max Muller). Later the term Rakshasas was used to denote short, dark thick lipped, fierce in appearance, curly haired people who were hostile to the Aryans. Unlike the civilized Dravidians, the Rakshasas engaged in guerilla warfare, attacking the Aryans at night and carrying away their cattle. The Rakshasas were called anagnitras i.e. non-worshippers of fire.
· Pishachas who were ruddy in appearance and uttered fearful yells. The fact that the Paishachi literature masterpiece, which was later translated into Sanskrit, namely the Brihat katha was written by them proves that they too were civilized people.

The five main Aryan tribes mentioned in the Rig-Veda are:
· Yadu,
· Turvasu,
· Anu,
· Druhyu,
· Puru

All the following three Vedas are written in Sanskrit and is dated well after the second century A.D. There is no doubt they are projections from the Rig Veda codifying other local arts and occultism.

The Yajur-Veda

The Yajur-Veda ("Veda of sacrificial formulas") consists of archaic prose mantras and also in part of verses borrowed from the Rig-Veda. Its purpose was practical, in that each mantra must accompany an action in sacrifice but, unlike the Sama-Veda, it was compiled to apply to all sacrificial rites, not merely the Soma offering. There are two major recensions of this Veda known as the "Black" and "White" Yajur-Veda. The origin and meaning of these designations are not clear. The White Yajur-Veda contains only the verses and sayings necessary for the sacrifice, while explanations exist in a separate Brahmana work. It differs widely from the Black Yajurveda, which incorporates such explanations in the work itself, often immediately following the verses. Of the Black Yajurveda four major recensions survive, all showing by and large the same arrangement, but differing in many other respects, notably in the individual discussion of the rituals but also in matters of phonology and accent.

Yajurveda consists of Yajus. (chants) for the entire sacrificial ceremony. The Yajurveda gave importance to the sacrifice itself. These were developed, as the rituals and Sacrifices became the center of the Vedic Religion, and proper form and ritual purity were emphasized. After all without that Sacrificer can do the sacrifice and that even without a Brahmana Priest. It was emphasized that a slight error in the performance would bring in wrath of gods instead of blessings. This Samhita is divided into two parts:
· the Shukla Yajurveda (or the Vajasaneyi samhita), which consists only of mantras
· Krishna Yajurveda which has sacrificial rites, their discussions and mantras.
By the time of Yajurveda, the Rig Vedic gods like Indra and Varuna lost their importance. And other new gods took greater prominence. Hence we can be sure that these were developed much later in time. The new gods of prominence were: Vishnu, Rudra, and Prajapati.

The Sama-Veda
The Sama-Veda (Sanskrit sāmaveda ) is the "Veda of chants" or "Knowledge of melodies". The name of this Veda is from the Sanskrit word sāman which means a metrical hymn or song of praise It consists of 1549 stanzas, taken entirely (except 78) from the Rig-Veda. Some of the Rig-Veda verses are repeated more than once. Including repetitions, there are a total of 1875 verses numbered in the Sama-Veda recension published by Griffith. Two major recensions remain today, the Kauthuma/Ranayaniya and the Jaiminiya. Its purpose was practical, to serve as a songbook for the "singer" priests who took part in the liturgy. A priest who sings hymns from the Sama-Veda during a ritual is called an udgātṛ, a word derived from the Sanskrit root ud-gai ("to sing" or "to chant"). A similar word in English might be "cantor". The styles of chanting are important to the liturgical use of the verses. The hymns were to be sung according to certain fixed melodies; hence the name of the collection. There is no clue to the date of the compilation of the Samaveda Hymns, nor has the compiler's name been handed down to us.

Most of the verses (except 75) are from the Rig-Veda. These verses are chanted at the ceremonies of the Soma sacrifice. The Sama Veda has two parts- the Archika (single stanza) and the Uttarchika (Three stanzas). The Sama Veda was meant to teach the Udgatri (priest) the method to sing the Saman melodies appropriate to the rituals being performed.
http://www.musicalnirvana.com/introduction/origin.html

Sama Veda

Though, Vedas are considered the source of Indian Music, it should not be assumed that classical music in its present form was fully developed by then. In fact, concept of Raga, Tala, Shruti or even Nava Rasas come only later.
All except Sama Veda were sung using only three notes, Anudaatta (low), Udaatta(middle) and Svarita(high). As used today the Anudaatta, Udaatta and Svarita svaras of Rig-Veda, can be equated with Ni, Sa, and Ri of the North Indian Kafi scale (Kharaharapriya of the Carnatic). In early manuscripts of Rig-Veda, the text was written along with accent notes. Anudaatta is marked with an underline and Svarita is marked with a small vertical line above the syllable. Udaatta is left unmarked.

Sama Veda consists of about 1900 verses, called samans. Ninety-five percent of the verses of Sama Veda Samhita are in Rig Veda Samhita. One can see from the text of the Sama Veda mantra that the chanting notation in it is much more elaborate than that in the corresponding Rig Veda mantra. SamaVeda was chanted using all seven notes (prathama, dvitheeya, tritheeya, chathurtha, panchama, shashta and sapthama), in descending order, of the Vaidika scale (or of sama gana) which have been equated to (Ma,Ga,Ri,Sa,Dha,Ni,Pa) of the Laukika or Gandhara scale in later classical sanskrit texts like NaradiyaShiksha.

Rig Vedic hymns are directed at Gods, to be chanted during sacrifices to please them. It is possible Gods were thought to be fond of music and that it would be easier to please them if the hymns were sung rather than just chanted. Thus, many of the Rig Vedic hymns were set to music and sung and were known as samans, rather than just hymns (Rik). The chanted Sama-Veda hymns or Samans were believed to possess the supernatural qualities capable of petitioning and even supporting the deities that controlled the forces of the universe. Since Rig Vedic hymns are just metered they could not be sung using all the seven notes. Thus started a tradition of insertion of a number of seemingly `meaningless' words or syllables (stobha) for musical and lyrical effect, such as o, hau, hoyi, va, etc.

It was these stobha syllables which were extended vocally with long duration on various notes of the Sama-Veda scale by the priests who had the special function of summoning the gods to the celebration through the use of droning (monotone) on a number of these tones, believing them to hold magical properties. The wife of the chief sacrificer (i.e. chief priest, brahmana) would play the Vina, during sacrifices.
Precise methods of singing the Samans were established and preserved in three different schools, the Kauthumas, Ranayaniyas, and the Jaiminiyas, the oldest. Each has maintained a distinct style with regard to vowel prolongation, interpolation and repetition of stobha, meter, phonetics, and the number of notes in scales. Accordingly, there has been a fervent regard for maintaining continuity in Sama-Veda singing to avoid misuse or modification over many years. Since written texts were not in use, in fact prohibited, the priests memorized the chants with the aid of accents and melodies, and passed this tradition down orally from one generation to the next for over three thousand years ( Hinduism and Music).

The Atharva-Veda

The Atarvaveda was originally called the Athrvaangirasa. Atharva and Angiras were fire priests. Apte defines an atharvan as a priest who worshipped fire and Soma The etymology of Atharvan is unclear, but according to Mayrhofer related to Avesta athravan (āθrauuan) and denies any connection with fire priests. In all cultures Priests were also medicine men. Sicknesses and problems were assoicated with evil spirits. In India this part is played by the Atharvans. The Atharvan Veda is essentially magic spells. about one-sixth of the hymns are in common with the Rig-Veda. It has over 700 hymns divided into 20 chapters. Since this Veda consists of ways to appease demons, curse enemies (abhichakarani) etc, it was not recognized as a Veda for a long time . The different contents of Atharvaveda are
· Bhaishajyani: which are songs and spells for healing of diseases. Since this part has the various symptoms of diseases, it is important for the study of history of medicine.
· Ayushyani: these are hymns and prayers to achieve long life. These are used at the main ceremonies (samskaras) prescribed for any individual.
· Paustikani: there are benedictions to be used by common men like farmer and merchant to succeed in their work.
· Prayaschittani: ceremonies of expiation. Prayaschitta or expiation for any wrong deed done, knowingly or unknowingly is a characteristic feature of the Indian psychology and the Atharvaveda contains hymns and ceremonies for the same.
· Strikarmani: are rites for women and are two types. The peaceful ones which refer to marriage and begetting children and the exorcisms and curses to make other men/women barren and cause harm.
· Rajakarmani: are rites pertinent to a king
· Philosophical hymns: are of metaphysical nature.

The Atharvana-Veda is preserved in two recensions, the Paippalāda and Śaunaka. According to Apte it has nine schools (shakhas). The Paippalada version is longer than the Saunaka one; it is only partially printed and remains untranslated.

The second part of the text contains speculative and philosophical hymns. R. C. Zaehner notes that:
"The latest of the four Vedas, the Atharva-Veda, is, as we have seen, largely composed of magical texts and charms, but here and there we find cosmological hymns which anticipate the Upanishads, -- hymns to Skambha, the 'Support', who is seen as the first principle which is both the material and efficient cause of the universe, to Prāna, the 'Breath of Life', to Vāc, the 'Word', and so on.

In its third section, the Atharvaveda contains Mantras used in marriage and death rituals, as well as those for kingship, female rivals and the Vratya (in Brahmana style prose) .”
Gavin Flood discusses the relatively late acceptance of the Atharva-Veda as follows:
"There were originally only three priests associated with the first three Saṃhitās, for the Brahman as overseer of the rites does not appear in the Ṛg Veda and is only incorporated later, thereby showing the acceptance of the Atharva Veda, which had been somewhat distinct from the other Saṃhitās and identified with the lower social strata, as being of equal standing with the other texts."


Sacrifices in Vedas

The mode of Vedic worship was essentially sacrifices and chanting of hymns. Prayers were essentially for material gains, wealth, health and progeny.
Specific rituals and sacrifices of the Vedic religion include:
· The Soma cult described in the Rigveda, descended from a common Indo-Iranian practice.
· Fire rituals, also a common Indo-Iranian practice, cf. Zoroastrianism:
· The Agnihotra or oblation to Agni
· The Agnicayana, the sophisticated ritual of piling the fire altar.
· The Agnistoma or fire sacrifice
· The Ashvamedha or horse sacrifice
· The Purushamedha, or sacrifice of the cosmic Purusha, cf. Purusha Sukta
· The rituals described in the Atharvaveda concerned with demonology and magic.

The Ashvamedha (horse sacrifice), in India continued until the 4th century AD. Like all cattle breeding tribes in the world, killing cows for food was seldom done except as a sacrifice. Sacrifice was but a regular practice.”

Ancient Sanskrit Online http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/lrc/eieol/vedol-0-X.html
Karen Thomson and Jonathan Slocum

“… ….The circumstances of the original composition of these poems remain unknown. Believed to be of divine origin, this large body of material, in an archaic and unfamiliar language, was handed down orally, from generation to generation, by priests in ancient India. The highly metrical form of the poems, together with their incomprehensibility, made them ideally suited to ritual recitation by a religious elite. Faithfully preserved through the centuries as a sacred mystery, the text has come down to us in a state of considerable accuracy.


2. 'The Veda'.

Over time a body of dependent and scholastic material grew up around the poems, known loosely as 'the Veda'. Perhaps around 1000 BC (all dating in prehistoric India is only approximate), editors gathered the ancient poems together and arranged them, together with some more modern material, into ten books according to rules that were largely artificial (see section 4 below). They gave the collection the name by which it continues to be known, 'Rig-veda', or 'praise-knowledge'. Other collections came into being, based on this sacred material, and they were given parallel names. The editors of the 'Sāma-veda' arranged the poems differently, for the purpose of chanting, and introduced numerous alternative readings to the text. The sacrificial formulae used by the priests during their recitations, together with descriptions of their ritual practices, were incorporated into collections to which the general name 'Yajur-veda' was given. Later still, a body of popular spells was combined with passages from the Rigveda, again with variant readings, and was given the name 'Atharva-veda'. A continuously-growing mass of prose commentary, called the Brahmanas, also came into being, devoted to the attempt to explain the meaning of the ancient poems. To the later Brahmanas belongs the profusion of texts known as the Upanishads, ….
2.1. The continuing influence of 'the Veda'
….. With major pieces of the jigsaw firmly in the wrong place, the rest, inevitably, refuses to fit, and the comparison of passages in the attempt to establish word meanings appears to be a fruitless exercise. Indology has concluded that the Rigveda is not only uninteresting, "describing fussy and technical ritual procedures"

Stephanie Jamison On translating the Rig Veda: Three Questions, 1999, p. 3), but that it is also intentionally indecipherable. "One feels that the hymns themselves are mischievous translations into a 'foreign' language" (Wendy O'Flaherty The Rig Veda. An Anthology, Penguin, 1981, p. 16).

DS OF VEDIC RELIGION

A study of the Rig Veda will reveal the nature of the gods of the Vedic Religion which we now undertake:

Vedic Pantheon

The Vedic pantheon, similar to its Greek or Germanic counterparts, comprises clans of anthropomorphic deities as well as deified natural phenomena, and like the Germanic Vanir and Aesir it knows two classes of gods, Devas and Asuras. The Brihadaranyak Upanishad says that there are mainly thirty-three gods which are classified into three groups:
Thus, there are eight Vasus, twelve Âdityas, eleven Rudras, and two Ashvins. Indra and Prajâpati . There are also the Maruts.These gods belong to the three regions of the earth (prithvi), the heavens (Dyaus) and the intermediate space (Antariksha).
The eight Vasus are: agni (god of fire), prithivi (goddess of the earth), vayu (god of the wind), antarikch (god of the space), aditya (sun god), dyo (god of the luminous sky), chandrama (moon god) and nakchatra (god of the nakchatras, asterism. Nakchatras are 27, called Magha, Rohini etc.)

The following is a list of Deities by prominence as they appear in Rig Veda:

(List of Rigvedic deities by number of dedicated hymns, after Griffith. Some dedications are to twin-deities, such as Indra-Agni, Mitra-Varuna, Soma-Rudra, here counted doubly.)
· Indra 289 is the chief deity of the Rigveda, and the god of weather and war, and Lord of Svargaloka (Heaven) .He rides a white elephant called Airavata and wields the dazzling weapon of lightening called Vajrayudh. Prone to drinking soma, loses control over himself, prone to anger, mighty and sensuous, and always concerned about his survival and status as the leader.

“Their principal divinity was INDRA, the god of war and thunder, whose power was capable of destroying the walls of cities, of burning them down in order to conquer and pillage them… For a long time the behavior of the gods would reflect that of wicked men with the mentality of Aryan conquerors, materialistic and pitiless!” http://members.tripod.com/historel/orient/10inde.htm

Agni is the demi-god ruling fire, riding on a Ram. Latin ignis (the root of English ignite). The sacrifices made to Agni go to the deities because Agni is a messenger from and to the other gods. He is ever-young, because the fire is re-lit every day; but also he is immortal. Agni is represented as red and two-faced (sometimes covered with butter), suggesting both his destructive and beneficent qualities, and with black eyes and hair, three legs and seven arms. He rides a ram, or a chariot pulled by goats or, more rarely, parrots. Seven rays of light emanate from his body. One of his names is "Sapta jihva", 'seven tongues'. He is worshipped under a threefold form: fire on earth and lightning and the sun.

· Soma 123 (most of them in the Soma Mandala) Haoma (in Avestan), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *sauma-, was a ritual drink of importance among the early Indo-Iranians, and the later Vedic and greater Persian cultures. . In the Avesta, Haoma has an entire Yasht dedicated to it.


It is described as prepared by pressing juice from the stalks of a certain mountain plant, which has been variously hypothesized to be a psychedelic mushroom, cannabis, peganum harmala, or ephedra. In both Vedic and Zoroastrian tradition, the drink is identified with the plant, and also personified as a divinity, the three forming a religious or mythological unity. Soma represents the god of the Moon. He rides through the sky in a chariot drawn by white horses. Soma was also the name of the elixir of immortality that only the gods can drink.

The Moon was thought to be the storehouse of the elixir.

· Vishvadevas 70 are the various Vedic gods taken together as a whole.
· the Asvins 56 are divine twin horsemen in the Rigveda, sons of Saranya, a goddess of the dawn and wife of either Surya or Vivasvat. They are Vedic gods symbolising the shining of sunrise and sunset, appearing in the sky before the dawn in a golden chariot, bringing treasures to men and averting misfortune and sickness. They can be compared with the Dioscuri (the twins Castor and Pollux) of Greco-Roman mythology. The Twins or Twains who are the equivalent of the Geminis, the Dioskouris.

They are the doctors of gods and are devas of Ayurvedic medicine. They are called Nasatya (dual nāsatyau "kind, helpful" in the Rigveda; later, Nasatya is the name of one twin, while the other is called Dasra. By popular etymology, the name nāsatya was analysed as na+asatya "not untrue"="true".

· Varuna 46 is a god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld. He is the most prominent Asura in the Rigveda, and chief of the Adityas law.


· the Maruts 38 storm deities and sons of Rudra and Diti and attendants of Indra. The number of Maruts varies from two to sixty (three times sixty in RV 8.96.8. They are very violent and aggressive, described as armed with golden weapons i.e. lightnings and thunderbolts, as having iron teeth and roaring like lions, as residing in the north, as riding in golden chariots drawn by ruddy horses.

· Mitra 28 :Mitra, Mithra, Mithras
Mitra is a Vedic god who stood for the sun, and was, with his brother Varuna, the guardian of the cosmic order. He was the god of friendships and contracts,. He was an important divinity of Indic culture, descended, together with the Zoroastrian yazata Mithra, from a common Proto-Indo-Iranian deity *Mitra, a god of . guardian of oaths and agreements. Mithra may also have been worshipped by the Mani. Some branches of Manichaeism identified Mithra as the ruler of the second or third emanation (an occultist would say "ray," "aeon," or "sepheroth").
· Ushas 21 "dawn", is a Vedic deity. She is the chief goddess (sometimes imagined as several goddesses, Dawns) exalted in the Rig Veda. She is portrayed as a beautifully adorned, sexually attractive young woman riding in a chariot.

· Vayu (Wind) 12 he is the Vedic god entrusted with the rejuvenation of nature.
· Savitar 11 is a solar deity (see Deva) and one of the Adityas. His name is in Vedic Sanskrit meanings "impeller, rouser, vivifier". Savitr is described in the Vedas as having golden arms, hands, hair, etc. He is sometimes identified with, and at other times distinguished from, the chief Sun deity Surya. A number of beautiful Vedic hymns are invoked in his praise. He is the god of the Sun at Sunrise and Sunset, and was most often invoked in the latter role in Vedic hymns.
· Rbhus 11 meaning "clever, skilful", cognate to Latin labor, said of Indra, Agni and the Adityas in the Rigveda) are three semi-divine beings of the Rigveda and the Atharvaveda, Rbhu, Vaja and Vibhvan, called collectively by the name of their leader.
· Pushan 10 God of meeting. Puchan was responsible for marriages, journeys, roads, and the feeding of cattle .
· Apris 9 means "conciliation, propitiation" and refers to special invocations spoken previous to the offering of oblations.
· Brhaspati 8 (also known as Brahmanaspati) is the guru of the Devas and of the Danavas
· Surya (Sun) 8 is the chief solar deity.. His chariot is pulled by seven horses, which represent the seven chakras.
· Dyaus and Prithivi (Heaven and Earth) 6, plus 5.84 dedicated to Earth alone Dyaus Pita is the Sky Father, husband of Prithvi and father of Agni and Indra (RV 4.17.4).
His origins can be traced to the Proto-Indo-European sky god *Dyeus, who is also reflected as Greek Zeus(accusative Día, genitive Díos; theos pater), Jupiter (from Latin Iovius pater, "father-god"; deus pater) in Roman mythology, Div in Slavic mythology and Tyr in Norse mythology in Albanian (Zoti).
· Apas (Waters) 6 Ap (áp-) is the Vedic Sanskrit term for "water",
· Adityas 6 'Ādityas' are a group of solar deities, sons of Aditi and Kashyapa. They are emblems of the sun for each month of the year, and are themselves called suns.
· Vishnu 6 Viṣṇu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle, to enter", or also (in the Rigveda) "to pervade", and a suffix nu, translating to approximately "the All-Pervading One".
· Brahmanaspati 6 Brahmanaspati is the lord of prayer, the father of all sacred prayers, lord of the Satya Mantra, the god of the Word who obliterates enemies of the gods with words of magic. He helped create the universe through his chanting words.
· Rudra 5("Howler") is a Rigvedic god of the storm, the hunt, death, Nature and the Wind. Later identified sometimes with Siva.
· Dadhikras 4
· the Sarasvati River / Sarasvati 3
· Yama is a Lokapāla and an Aditya. Yama, "Lord of Death" and "King of the Law of decay" Yaama means evening. He is depicted with green or red skin, red clothes, and riding a water buffalo. He holds a loop of rope in his left hand with which he pulls the soul from the corpse. He is the son of Surya (Sun) and twin brother of Yami, or Yamuna, traditionally the first human pair in the Vedas
· Parjanya (Rain) 3 is the Vedic Sanskrit for "rain" or "raincloud".
· Vac (Speech) 2 (mentioned 130 times, deified e.g. in 10.125)
· Vastospati 2
· Vishvakarman 2 is the presiding deity of all craftsmen and architects
· Manyu 2 Manyu is also known as mainyu in the Zorastrian religion. In ancient Persian mythology, Spenta Mainyu ("holy spirit") is the god of life and the personification of the good and the light. He is the twin brother of Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), the god of darkness, with whom he fights an eternal battle.
· Kapinjal a (the Heathcock, a form of Indra) 2
Minor deities (one single or no dedicated hymn)
· Manas (Thought), prominent concept, deified in 10.58
· Dakshina (Reward), prominent concept, deified in 10.107
· Jnanam (Knowledge), prominent concept, deified in 10.71
· Purusha ("Cosmic Man" of the Purusha sukta 10.90)
· Aditi
· Bhaga
· Vasukra
· Atri
· Apam Napat
· Ksetrapati
· Ghrta
· Nirrti
· Asamati
· Urvasi
· Pururavas
· Vena
· Aranyani
· Mayabheda
· Tarksya
· Tvastar
· Saranyu

Only documents written in Vedic language predates the second century AD mark. This include only the Rig Veda except mandalas I and X. It is in the Mandala X we have the latest additions in the deities as given in the Vedic Pantheon list. These are:
· Manas (Thought), prominent concept, deified in 10.58
· Dakshina (Reward), prominent concept, deified in 10.107
· Jnanam (Knowledge), prominent concept, deified in 10.71
· Purusha ("Cosmic Man" of the Purusha sukta 10.90)
These are therefore not really Vedic gods.

Sri Aurobindo Akroyd Ghosh (1872- 1950)

“There can be no doubt that in the beginning there was a worship of the Powers of the physical world, the Sun, Moon, Heaven and Earth, Wind, Rain and Storm etc., the Sacred Rivers and a number of Gods who presided over the workings of Nature. That was the general aspect of the ancient worship in Greece, Rome, India and among other ancient peoples.
But in all these countries these gods began to assume a higher, a psychological function; Pallas Athene who may have been originally a Dawn-Goddess springing in flames from the head of Zeus, the Sky-God, Dyaus of the Veda, has in classical Greece a higher function and was identified by the Romans with their Minerva, the Goddess of learning and wisdom; similarly, Saraswati, a River Goddess, becomes in India the goddess of wisdom, learning and the arts and crafts: all the Greek deities have undergone a change in this direction -- Apollo, the Sun-God, has become a god of poetry and prophecy, Hephaestus the Fire-God a divine smith, god of labor.
In India the process was arrested half-way, and the Vedic Gods developed their psychological functions but retained more fixedly their external character and for higher purposes gave place to a new pantheon. They had to give precedence to Puranic deities who developed out of the early company but assumed larger cosmic functions, Vishnu, Rudra, Brahma, -- developing from the Vedic Brihaspati, or Brahmanaspati, -- Shiva, Lakshmi, Durga.”Hymns to the Mystic Fire – Sri Aurobindo


HIS HOLINESS SRI SWAMI KRISHNANANDA SARASWATI MAHARAJ


A Short History of Religious and Philosophic Thought in India , Swami Krishnananda,The Divine Life Society , Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India

“It is true that the main gods of the Vedas are Indra, Varuna, Agni, Surya (Aditya or Savitr), Soma, Yama, Vayu, Asvins, Brihaspati and Brahmanaspati; and a correct chanting of the Mantras, summoning the power of the divinities could produce supernatural results, and eventhe actual materialisation of them here.

In the Purusha Sukta or the hymn of the Cosmic Person, we have the most magnificent description of the spiritual unity of the cosmos. Here is given, perhaps, the earliest complete presentation of the nature of Reality as both immanent and transcendent. [Purusha suktha occur in RV X written after the common era.]

“The hymn has the power to protect (trayate) the one who contemplates (mananat) on it, and hence the name mantra. The mantras of the Vedas are intended to invoke the deities to whom they are addressed, and to summon the power of the deities for executing an ideal. They are the means of connection with the denizens of the celestial world and the divinities that immanently guard and perform different functions in the various planes of existence.”

The Theology of Vedism is summarised in the Imperial Gazetteer of India, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1908-1931 v. 1, p. 406 as follows:

“Theology, as we find it in the Veda, begins with the worship of the things of heaven, and ends with the worship of things of earth. We have, first, the worship of the sky gods; then of those that rule the atmosphere; lastly, of those that rule on earth. Under the first class comes the worship of the sun in various forms, as Surya, 'the glowing one'; Savitar, 'the enlightener'; Bhaga, 'the giver of blessings'; and Vishnu, who, except in the kindliness of his nature, has little in common with his later form as one of the Hindu triad.
In another form as Pishan, god of agriculture, roads, and cattle, who is also known as Kapardin, 'he of the braided hair,' he forms a link between the Vedic gods and Siva. Dyaus, the shining sky, the Zeus of the Greeks, receives less special worship than might have been expected. In Varuna as the sky god a higher plane is reached. He sits enthroned in the vault of heaven; the sun and stars are the eyes with which he sees all that passes on earth. He, more than any of his brother gods, realizes the conception of personal holiness as an ideal for mankind.
Among the mid-air gods, Indra gained his ascendancy on Indian soil, where the increasing dependence of an agricultural people on the periodical rains popularized his worship. As a war god he fought in heaven against the demon that dispersed the rain clouds, and was thus adopted by the Kshattriyas to lead them on earth in their campaigns against the aborigines.
Great as are these gods of sky and air, greater still are the earth-born gods: Agni, the fire god, as manifested in the sacrifice, and Soma, the moon-plant (Sarcostemma viminale, or Asclepias acida of botanists), the worship of which is based on its intoxicating qualities. The latter came to be identified with the moon, a theory still farther developed in the post- Vedic mythology.
With Yama we reach a stage of distinct anthropomorphism. He might have lived for ever, but he chose to die, and was the first to point out to his descendants the way to the other world. To his heaven, guarded by two monstrous dogs, the souls of the departed are conveyed, and are adored on earth as the Pitri, or sainted dead. To retain their place in the abodes of the blessed, the souls need constantly to be refreshed by the pious food offerings of their descendants. Hence arose the Sraddha, or periodical feast of the dead, which has had far reaching effects in the development of the theory of sacrifice”

The general study will indicate no deep theology in the Vedas unless it is imposed from outside. Thus:
“Generally speaking, the Indian perception of the Rig-Veda has moved away from the original tribalistic, ritualistic content to a more symbolic or mystical interpretation. For example, instances of animal sacrifice are not seen as literal slaughtering but as transcendental processes. The Rig Vedic view is seen to consider the universe to be infinite in size, dividing knowledge into two categories: lower (related to objects, beset with paradoxes) and higher (related to the perceiving subject, free of paradoxes).Swami Dayanand, who started the Arya Samaj and Sri Aurobindo have emphasized a spiritual (adhyatimic) interpretation of the book. Subhash Kak has claimed that there is an astronomical code in the organization of the hymns. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, based on alleged astronomical alignments in the Rig-Veda, even went as far as to claim that the Aryans originated on the North Pole.”
http://www.haryana-online.com/History/rig_veda.htm

“The idea of sacrifice, of a kind of bargain with the deities, was the characteristic idea of the early Vedic cults. "Man needs things which the god possesses, such as rain, light, warmth, and health, while the god is hungry and seeks offerings from man : There is giving and receiving on both sides in the later Vedic Period, the doctrine “Barth "The Religions of India," (London, 1882) p. 36.
The Development Of Hinduism by MM Ninen