Vedic Verses

   There are almost a 100 000 Vedic verses under the four categories of the Rks, yajus, saman and the atharva veda. These Vedic verses are taught by different sages in the Upanishads. The Bhagavad-Gita and the Brahma sutras also deal with these doctrines. Now, it is essential to understand these verses in deep contemplation and realize the inner esoteric meaning. The study of these Vedic verses pave the way for enlightenment. However, Bhagavan Sri Krishna says, "Even the decorative words of Veda deal with the worldly existence and, as such, they are lower knowledge!" That knowledge which enables the jiva to know the true self, the Atman, is the only knowledge that helps salvation. Atma-jnyan is the only para vidya, knowledge that paves for the liberation of the embodied soul. Contemplate on the following verses.

   "Many there are who do not even hear of Atman; though hearing of Him, many do not comprehend. Wonderful is the expounder and rare the hearer; rare indeed is the experiencer of Atman taught by an able preceptor. Atman, when taught by an inferior person, is not easily comprehended, because It is diversely regarded by disputants. But when It is taught by him who has become one with Atman, there can remain no more doubt about It. Atman is subtler than the subtlest and not to be known through argument. This Knowledge cannot be attained by reasoning. Atman become easy of comprehension, O dearest, when taught by another. You have attained this Knowledge now. You are, indeed, a man of true resolve. May we always have an inquirer like you!  The fulfilment of desires, the foundation of the universe, the rewards of sacrifices, the shore where there is no fear, that which adorable and great, the wide abode and the goal-all this you have seen; and being wise, you have with firm resolve discarded everything." [Yajurveda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter II, 8-11]

   "Agni blazes and flashes from the height of heaven. To the God Agni belong all airy spaces, Agni it is whom mortal men enkindle, conveyer of offerings, lover of the clarified butter(ghee)." [Atharva Veda XII, 1, 20]

    "Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond the objects is the mind; beyond the mind, the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Atman; beyond the Great Atman, the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest, the Purusha. Beyond the Purusha there is nothing: this is the end, the Supreme Goal. That Self hidden in all beings does not shine forth; but It is seen by subtle seers through their one-pointed and subtle intellects." [Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter III, 10-13]. 

   "May Earth who bears mankind, each different grouping maintaining its own customs and its speech, yield up for me a thousand streams of treasure, like a placid cow that never resists the hand." [Atharva Veda XII, 1, 45].

   "From your numberless tracks by which mankind may travel, your roads on which move both chariots and wagons your paths which are used by the good and the bad, may we choose a way free from foes and robbers! May you grant us the blessing of all that is wholesome! She carries in her lap the foolish and also the wise. She bears the death of the wicked as well as the good. She lives in friendly collaboration with the boar, offering herself as sanctuary to the wild pig." [Atharva Veda XII, 1, 47-48]. 

   "But if the buddhi, being related to a mind that is always restrained, possesses discrimination, then the senses come under control, like the good horses of a charioteer." [Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter III, 6]. 

   "May Earth afford us all that copious wealth for which we long! May Bhaga play his part and Indra go before to show the way! Earth is the source of food, of rice and barley; from her derive the five tribes of men. To rain-steeped Earth, the Rain-giver's wife, be homage! Her castles are built by the Gods, her plains the arena in which men wage war. The matrix of all things is Earth. May the Lord of life dispose for our enjoyment all her regions! May the Goddess Earth, bearer of many a treasure and of wealth stored up in diverse hidden places, the generous sharer of riches, impart to us, in addition to gold and gems, a special portion of her favor!" [Atharva Veda XII, 1, 40,42-44]. 

  "Atman, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of all living creatures. A man who is free from desires beholds the majesty of the Self through tranquility of the senses and the mind and becomes free from grief. Though sitting still, It travels far; though lying down, It goes everywhere. Who but myself can know that luminous Atman who rejoices and rejoices not?" [Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter II, 20-21]. 

   "He has surveyed the earth's eight peaks, its continents three, its tracts, its seven rivers. Savitri, the golden-eyed God, has come, bringing his worshiper wondrous blessings. Savitri, the skillful, gold-handed God is passing over between Earth and Heaven. He conquers sickness, directing the sun, and mounts up to heaven through darksome space." [Rk Veda I, 35, 8-9] 

    "The wise man, having realized Atman as dwelling within impermanent bodies but Itself bodiless, vast and all-pervading, does not grieve. This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals Its own form. He who has not first turn away from wickedness, who is not tranquil and subdued and whose mind is not at peace, cannot attain Atman. It is realized only through the Knowledge of Reality." [Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter II, 22-24] 

   "Two there are who dwell within the body, in the intellect, the supreme akasa of the heart, enjoying the sure rewards of their own actions. The knowers of Brahman describe them as light and shade, as do those householders who have offered oblations in the Five Fires and also those who have thrice performed the Nachiketa sacrifice." [Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter III, 1]. 

  "Your circling seasons, nights succeeding days, your summer, O Earth, your splashing rains, our autumn, your winter and frosty season yielding to spring--may each and all produce for us their milk!" [Atharva Veda XII, 1, 36] 

  "Men pray to him, yet he needs no asking; as his mind has grasped all things. He goes as one who knows the first word and the last, with mind composed." [Rk Veda I, 145, 2].

   "Know the atman to be the master of the chariot; the body, chariot; the intellect, the charioteer; and the mind, the reins. The senses, they say, are the horses; the objects, the roads. The wise call the atman-united with the body, the senses and the mind-the enjoyer. If the buddhi, being related to a mind that is always distracted, loses its discriminations, then the senses become uncontrolled, like the vicious horses of a charioteer." [Yajur Veda, Katha Upanishad, Part One, Chapter III, 3-5]