A bird’s eye view of Vedas - XIII

A bird’s eye view of Vedas - XIII

(Copy right protected by Dr. G.S. Tripathy)

Fate & Rita

To translate the order (Rita) of the cosmic into social order is the ideal of society. Rita is independent of the will of the gods like the Greek conception of Fate. OF the will of God, Rita is independent. Beyond the capacity of anybody to alter Fate, Greeks found a power which was arbitrary and which fore ordained the course of mortal life even to which the so called gods could not with stand. That man was a helpless victim of fate, this led to the typical Greek conception of tragedy. But the case of India is different. Rita remained eternal law and eternal justice and never became fore – ordination. Hence there could be no escape from the consequences of our deeds, as a result, however, of the working of eternal justice. As he sows, a man must reap. This led to the doctrine of Karma followed by the conception of stern Rita.

Every soul is believed to be born with the residue of Karma of Previous birth with the detailed acceptance of the doctrine of rebirth which remained unseen so far having guided man’s present life to happiness or misery in accordance with eternal justice. The Greek idea of Predetermination thus, came nearer to the Indian conception of Karma.

There is no Predetermination in the Vedas. To follow Rita, in making order Prevail against disorder, Cosmos against chaos, there is confident faith in man’s capacity.

Within us and without us, the existence of evil is recognized, but it is believed that evil can be fought and fought successfully. The power of darkness and evil, “the vritra” had been destroyed by Indra which is opposed to Rita, is an indicative of the final triumph of goodness and law over evil and disorder. Supreme among slayers of “Vritra” is Indra who is “vritrahantama”. Every human being has his own vritra, to fight out in life. Sucessfully he can fight out if he is valiant enough to face the world bravely.

The heroic or epic outlook on life is nothing but the vedic outlook on life. There is evil in our midst and life is hard in this world. But victory is ours only if we are brave enough to face it.

The Attarva Veda and yajur veda reproduce many verses on this with the expression “Stand erect” by the more emphatic substitute “VIRAYADDHVAM”, “Like heroes you Quit.”

Satya is Brahma – Rita is Kshetra

The higher interest of life is represented by Satya in the metaphysical as well as moral sense with Rita in broad sense, Covering the cosmic ethical and social law as well as the ritual. For the moral. Political interest, Satya stands for the religious. Philosophical interest and Rita in its typical sense.

Therefore interests of life have been spoken by Rig Veda. (RVIII. 35. V-18)

1. Power of knowledge is to be strengthened. & strenthen the intellectual.

2. Strengthen the Ruling Power – strengthen the heroes.

3. Strengthen the people & give strength to the milch cow.

Corresponding to truth represented by cultural force is Brahmin only. Corresponding to Rita represented by Political Power is kshatra. Sri milch - cow represents the economic force of the society.The Brahman, the Philosophic man, the kshatriya, the political man and the vaisya, the common man – like this three types of men emerge in the society.

The intellectual and spiritual enterprise would be carried on by Brahman, the second shall work for order and security and the third will produce wealth of the nation. Special efforts are to be directed to the encouragement of the first two groups of society while the third group needs protection. To makeup between them is the religious and political idealism of vedic times, thus the Brahman & Kshatra would be found.

Agni particularly represents Brahman ideal of the major deities though he has also been spoken of as king. Among those who live holy life, Agni is supreme. He is holy poet. He is the holy sage.

Corresponding to Brahman & Kshatra, two types of virtues are stressed in the Vedas send wisdom and valour.

There are prayers for strength, fearlessness, vigor velour. Spiritual power manliness, wrath and other qualities of heroism, of course, on the other hand.

Consecration:- Under the category of Brahman for which the Philosophical-religious interest stands, the four Principles of Dharma, Consecration, Austerity, Prayer & ritual come generally. At the realization of Satya or ultimate truth, the first two of these, names consecration and austerity are chiefly directed. For spiritual advancement these refer to defailed systems of self culture.

Between the teacher (Acharya) and the student, there is a deep personal contact where consecration is not merely a formal initiation. As per Atharava veda, while giving the initiation. The Acharya carries the pupil within him just like a mother carries the foetus in her womb. The teacher keeps pupil under instruction and after the symbolic three days of the Vrata the Sisya is born a wonder whom the gods in a body come to see.

From darkness to light, from humanity to divinity, from untruth to truth, this initiation is the path of transition hence. Instruction is like the guidance that the Acharya gives to the disciple who knows a land gives to one who’s a stranger to it.

But being under instruction one receives guidance and goes directly forward by himself would conceivably group his way to some amount of knowledge. The necessity of instruction has been established by this which states its nature. It is just like the guidance to a traveller who is actuated by a desire to visit and see the land with the pupil, therefore, the initiative lies. In the acquisition of knowledge, the initiative is not a passive recipient, but an active agent.

TAPAS (Austerity)

The path of hard striving and constant is the path to higher life. Through the sweat of his brow, one wins intellectual and spiritual enlightenment. What applies generally to spiritual life applies to the performance of the ritual also.

In the achievement of higher things in life, Tapas is the unsparing and unflagging effort. To do something worth while the infinite pains one has to take. At the beginning of all great things, Tapas lies. But of the perfect spiritual ordour, it is said, truth and order were born at the beginning. Through Tapas, sages and gods perform noble things.

For the student of Vedic learning, the Tapas par excellence at the beginning of life is the discipline. The way of obtaining the Vedic knowledge is known as Brahmacharya Primarily and that of education and culture in a general sense.

The character of the Brahmachari in detail, the Attarva veda does describe. By Tapas, he satisfies the Acharya. With his sacred wood (SAMIDHA) sacred belt (mekhala) and his labour, the Brahmachari satisfies the universe. With the Tapas, he stands high clad in spiritual light. In his new garb and new power, the young boy takes up the intellectual and spiritual career. And after some twenty-four years, the mature youth comes back to society.

By the Samidh, the Brahmachari comes perfected having clad in black antelope’s skin also consecrated wearing long beard. Form the eastern to western sea, he comes quickly assembling the people he establishes him-self forth with. During the long period of continence, the creative energy conserved by him is used on the spiritual plane and animated by his creative vigour.

They must be Brahmacharies all who would live worthily. Through the Tapas, the king protects the state. Through Brahmachari the Acharya desires to have his pupil. Through Brahmacharya the maiden obtains a youthful husband. At the centre of Divinity Brahmacharya lies. By the Tapas of Brahmacharya, the shining ones turns away death they face, Through Brahmacharya, Indra brought light to Devas. Having bathed bright and respondient the Brahmachari shines greatly on the earth. For attaining the fitness for Vedic knowledge. Brahmacharya is the discipline of body and mind. For the control and sublimation of the sex energy much strain was laid. What meticuliously attended to is the physical fitness.

Outside the common human habitations, the life in the open fresh air in sunlight is required. Hard work both physical and intellectual, hard bed, the performance of fire ritual and personal supervision by the Acharya contributed to spartan virtues. Like a hermit secluded from society the Brahmachari did not grow. Begging his up-keep he took his daily round of the neighbouring villages by meeting the mistress of the household requesting for alms.

Towards women, a filial attitude might have been cultivated in course of time. Brahmachari was the worshipper of saraswati; the Divine mother at whose breast he prayed to be privileged to be fed. Living with his family the Acharya was a married man and the Brahmachari was adopted into it.

The ideal of Brahmachari stood for a preparation for life and not for the entire life ordinarily in the Vedas. In the personal life of individuals the ideal of Brahmacharya was co-ordinated with that of the family life but in case of social life the ideal of Brahman was with that of Kshatra. For a young husband the maiden should be qualified through Brahmacharya. Hence the young man should be qualified himself for married life for taking leadership of a family. The powerful sage agastya practised both classes of obligations, that is both Brahmacharya and Garhapatya and form the Devas he received benedictions.

In the words of Lopamudra, (the wife of Agastya)

“The ancient sages who preached the Eternal Law and conversed of eternal statutes with Devas, beget Progeny, and did not therely arrive at the end of their lives of Tapas.”

In social life there were two interests and hence there were two ways in individual life one succeeding the other. The original conception of varnashrama Dharame lies in this broad foundation referred to above in the words of Lopamudra. The term varna, implies to Ashram only. To resume Brahmacharya was set as the ideal of later life on a return to forest with the ideal of complete renunciation which is known as “Sanyas” for the fourth stage of life.

In pursuit of spiritual knowledge, from the earliest times there were men & women who remained celibates in their individual ways. On a much more limited scale than that of Brahmacharya, the Practice of the last two ideals, however must have been practised.

It should be noted, Vedas place Tapas after Diksha. All efforts become constructive effort after initiation and there is no mere self mortification at all.