Vedic Verses

Let them protect you, let them guard you! To them be homage, to them be all hail! May the Lord of the Wind, the Sky, the Creator, the saving Sun, restore you to communion with the living! Let not your breath or your strength forsake you! It is for your sake that we call back your life! Let not the friend of the snapping jaws find you, or darkness, or the tongue of the demon! Shall you be subject to Death? No, never! May all the powers raise you up, may the Lord of the sky and of Fire raise you up to well-being! Heaven and Earth and the Lord of creation have raised you up! The plants and the herbs, with the heavenly Drink, have saved you from Death! [Atharva Veda VIII, 1, 14-17]

Water when drunk becomes threefold. What is coarsest in it becomes urine, what is medium becomes blood and what is subtlest becomes prana..Fire when eaten becomes threefold. What is coarsest in it becomes bone, what is medium becomes marrow and what is subtlest becomes speech.The mind, my dear, consists of food, the prana of water and speech of heat. Please, venerable Sir, instruct me further. So be it, my dear. [Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad VI, V - The Threefold Nature of Food, 2-4]

That, my dear, which is the subtlest part of curds rises, when they are churned and becomes butter.In the same manner, my dear, that which is the subtlest part of the food that is eaten rises and becomes mind.[Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad VI, VI - The Physical Nature of the Mind, the Prana and Speech, 1- 2].

With the breath that dwells in creatures of two legs or four, I blow upon you as one blows on a fire just kindled. To you, O Death, to your sight and your breath, I pay homage! Let him live, not die! This man we now revive. I bring him healing. O Death, do not strike this man! A life-possessing, life-bestowing plant, powerful, salvific, potent, I here invoke, to bring this man once more to health and strength!.  [Atharva Veda VIII, 2, 2-6]

His father said to him: Just as, my dear, of a great blazing fire a single coal, the size of a firefly, may be left, which would not burn much more than that, even so, my dear, of your sixteen parts only one part is left; and therefore with that one part you do not remember the Vedas. Now go and eat and you will understand me.

Svetaketu ate and approached his father. Then whatever his father asked him, he showed that he knew it.

Then his father said to him: Just as, my dear, of a great lighted fire a single coal the size of a firefly, if left, may be made to blaze up again by adding grass to it and will thus burn much more, Even so, my dear; of your sixteen parts only one part was left and that, when strengthened by food, blazed up. With it you now remember the Vedas. Therefore, my dear, the mind consists of food, the prana consists of water and speech consists of fire. After that he understood what his father said, yea, he understood it. [Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad VI, VII - How the Mind consists of Food, 3-6]

Uddalaka the son of Aruna said to his son Svetaketu: Learn from me, my dear, the true nature of sleep. When a person has entered into deep sleep, as it is called, then, my dear, he becomes united with Pure Being (Sat), he has gone to his own Self. That is why they say he is in deep sleep (svapiti); it is because he has gone (apita) to his own (svam). Just as a bird tied by a string to the hand of the bird-catcher first flies in every direction and then finding no rest anywhere, settles down at the place where it is bound, so also the mind (i.e. the individual soul reflected in the mind), my dear, after flying in every direction and finding no rest anywhere, settles down in the Prana (i.e. Pure Being); for the mind (the individual soul) is fastened to the Prana (Pure Being). [Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad VI, VIII - Concerning Sleep, Hunger, Thirst, and Death, 1-2]

Set up to the East of the sacred Fire, you accept our prayer, intense and unflagging. Hold yourself high to bring us prosperity. Drive far away dearth of inspiration. Girdled and adorned, he displays youthful beauty, yet is fairer by far when brought to new birth. With minds contemplative and godward directed, our sages of lofty intelligence rear him. Born anew, he is born on a day most auspicious, growing in wisdom in the assembly of men. Wise men and skillful consecrate him with song. Approaching the Gods, the priest calls aloud. [Rk Veda III, 8, 2, 4-5]

What deity, said Sakalya, are you identified with in the fixed direction (i.e. overhead)? With the deity fire. In what does fire find its support? Speech. In what does speech find its support? The heart. In what does the heart find its support?

  You ghost, said Yajnavalkya, that you think that the heart should be elsewhere than in ourselves! If it were elsewhere than in ourselves, dogs would eat this body or birds tear it to pieces.In what do the body and the heart find their support? asked Sakalya. In the prana. In what does the prana find its support? In the apana. In what does the apana find its support? In the vyana. In what does the vyana find its support? In the udana. In what does the udana find its support? In the samana. Here the Upanishad itself states: This self is That which has been described as Not this, not this. It is imperceptible, for It is never perceived; undecaying, for It never decays; unattached, for It is never attached; unfettered, for It never feels pain and never suffers injury. [Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad III, IX-Yajnavalkya and Vidaghdha, 24-26].

Speak in his favor! Seize him not, but release him, yours though he be. Let him stay here with aYajnavalkay continued 5. Do not say: From the semen, for that is produced from the living man. A tree springs from the seed as well; after it is dead it certainly springs again. 6. If a tree is pulled up with its root, it will not spring again. From what root, tell me, does a mortal spring forth after he is cut off by death? 7. If you think he is indeed born, I say: No, he is born again. Now who should again bring him forth? The Upanishad states: It is Brahman, which is absolute Knowledge and Bliss, the ultimate goal of him who offers wealth and also of him who has realized Brahman and stands firm in It. [Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad III, IX-Yajnavalkya and Vidaghdha, 28 (cont).

Om. Janaka, Emperor of Videha, was seated to give audience when Yajnavalkya arrived. The Emperor said to him: Yajnavalkya, for what purpose have you come here? With a desire for cattle, or to hear some subtle questions asked? For both, Your Majesty, said he.

    Yajnavalkya said: Let me hear what anyone among your teachers may have told you. Jitvan, the son of Silina, told me that the organ of speech (fire) is Brahman. As anyone who had the benefit of being taught by a good mother, father and teacher should say, so did the son of Silina say that the organ of speech is Brahman; for what can be attained by a person who cannot speak? But did he tell you about its abode (body) and support? No, he did not. This Brahman is only one-footed, Your Majesty. Then you tell us, O Yajnavalkya. The physical organ of speech is its abode and the akasha is its support. It should be mediated upon as intelligence. What is intelligence, O Yajnavalkya? It is the organ of speech, Your Majesty, said Yajnavalkya. [Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV, I-Partial Definitions of Brahman, 1-2].

Through the organ of speech alone, O Emperor, are known the Rig-Veda, the Yagur-Veda, the Sama-Veda, the Atharvangirasa, history, ancient lore, the arts, the Upanishads, verses, aphorisms, explanations, commentaries, the results of sacrifices, the result of offering oblations in the fire, the results of giving food and drink, this world, the next world and all beings. The organ of speech, Your Majesty, is the Supreme Brahman. The organ of speech never deserts him who, knowing this, meditates upon it;all beings eagerly approach him; and being a god, he attains the gods. I give you a thousand cows with a bull as large as an elephant, said Emperor Janaka. Yajnavalkya replied: My father was of the opinion that one should not accept gifts from a disciple without fully instructing him.[Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV, I-Partial Definitions of Brahman, 2 (cont)

I drive to a distant place Malignity, Destruction, the Demon who grabs and ghosts who feast upon corpses. All demons and evil powers--like darkness I destroy them!, [Atharva Veda VIII, 2, 12]

All his strength! Have mercy upon him, O powers of destruction, protect him! Grant to him fullness of days, removing all evil!