The Veda- An Unwritten Document?

    The name of Angiras occurs in the Veda in two different forms- Angira and Angiras, although the latter is the more common; there is also Angiras like Bhrigu and other seers, regarded as one of the original sages, progenitors of of clans of Rishis who went by their names, the Angiras, Atris, Bhargavas.

   There are other names of the families of Angirasas, Atris, Bhrugus, Kanvas, etc in the Veda. Rishi Atri and Rishi Bhrugu are said to be the Sages who discovered Agni, the sacred fire (V.11.6 and 46. 9). Seven original Angiras Rishis are described as the human fathers, pitaro manushyah, who discovered the Light, made the Sun to shine and ascended to the heaven of the Truth (Satya Lok). In Tenth Mandala, some of the Ruks are associated with Pitrus (Manes) with Yama God of Death) who share the offerings along with other gods. The Angiras are the ones who discovered the cows hidden in the caves by Vrutra; they are the ancestors who discovered the Veda or the founders of the Vedic religion. May be this is the way the long awaited sun rise was heralded by the chanting of the Rishis, Angirasas in the Arctic region where the days and nights are of six month duration. The Angirases are not merely the heavenly seers (deified human fathers), sons of the gods. Even the Ashvins are addressed collectively as Angirases, thus Angirases or the Atris are to be carefully interpreted, and so also Indra which is akin to Agni, Surya (X.62) there are the navaghvaas (“new-born rays”) and the dashaghvas.

   ‘O Agni, Angiras, Son of Energy’- “agne angira oorjO napaat”; ‘O Angiras, Son of Force’, “sahasah soonuh, oorjo napaat” (V. 11. 6 and VIII. 84. 4), O agni, Angirases found established in the secret places (guhaa hitam) and many other verses are confusing. However, Light and Force are the basic elements corresponding to our merger in Brahman and enlightenment with the help of divine grace in our Yogic exercises. Light addreesed to Rishis refers to enlightened ones, luminous sages dumanto vipraah (I. 31. 1).

   This way, many learned scholars and pundits have made attempts to write about the Veda in general and interpret the meaning of the Vedic hymns. They have tried to give a certain meaning to Sanskrit words, not realizing the fact that it is Deva Bhasha presented in the hymns as Rks, the mantra; they try to explain the mantras instead of what the potential strength of the Mantras is. These scholars are interested in Rks as far as their meaning is concerned rather than the central theme of the Veda presented in these hymns! It is felt that the commentaries so far available to us on the Vedic literature have gone far away from the central idea, theme conveyed by the hymns, i.e, the potential being of the human to raise to the divine and the obstacles that come in the way, as also, the forces that promote as well as hinder this possibility.

   There is a wide gap of time and distance between the times when the Veda was in vogue among the enlightened Rishis of the Satya Yuga and the times we re reading them in books now in Kaliyuga as could be easily understood from the present-day wry commentaries. These scholars interpret the Sanskrit words and hymns (mostly referring to grammar, composition and dictionary for meaning) and thus, over the eons, there have been much distortion and aberrations in the conveyed words. The original meaning of words* has also undergone much change and got corrupted due to wrong usages. The original Deva Bhasha is no more understood by the later scholars (Samskruta pundits) since the philology and the semantics and etymology of Samskruta and Pali languages, too, have undergone a sea change over the Millennia. Moreover, merely a philological or logical derivation of meaning from words will not help in any way in understanding the Veda. The word Akasha for example has varied meanings like ocean, space, sea, womb and all that holds! Similarly the words sat, prana, prajnya are not simply truth, life-breath or vital sirs, or consciousness, respectively. English language is too poor to convey the depth and range of spiritual meaning of Rks. Agni Sukta rendered by several Rishis such as Angiras, goutama, Dirghatamas or Vishvamitra are a pointer in this regard. The very first mantra of the First Mandala of the Rk Veda is extremely difficult to understand and this has been clarified further later in this text.

    The Veda is not something to be spoken of, or written, interpreted, read and understood by the intellectuals as an academic exercise. The Rks are too mystic, potential creators, full of creative energy. The objective world is a product of the sacred word, the Rk. It is strange that silence speaks much better than sound here. There is more meaning in silence (abhava) and gaps (sandhi) between syllables, letters, words and verses and hymns. To interpret the silence, a dynamic and potentially creative force, is more important than the mere words since every syllable is a movement, a creative force that expand time, space, and causation. It (the silence) conveys the Brahm that is beyond the ability of the intellect, thoughts, words, vak, manas and buddhi to grasp or comprehend. The Veda is the self-expression of ‘tat’, the divine ‘Truth’ called ‘sat; it is satyam, jnyanam anantam and anandam,and the ‘brahma’.  This is not the acquired knowledge from any external source. This is the revelation and a personal experience of the Rishis, the attained ones. It is an inexplicable anubhaava that words cannot express. The moment this expression finds its way into thoughts or words, it ceases to be what it was in its pristine purity as energy, spirit, and the divine and it becomes a mundane matter, a thought particle (‘thoughtron’ like and electron and quark), an aberration of sat, at that.